Becoming Stronger
by Swish42
Summary: Zelgadis is human and is living a carefree life, traveling and helping people for a price. Unfortunately, a chimera outbreak racks the land and Zelgadis takes it upon himself to investigate. What he finds will cost him dearly. After Evolution-R COMPLETE
1. New Body

_Authors Note: This story takes place about three years after Evolution-R. Zelgadis is human and he has a pretty good life. I don't own anything of Slayers, this is written for fun._

Becoming Stronger

Chapter 1: New Body

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Pokota asks Zelgadis.

The machine that surrounds the stuffed toy prince is quite elaborate and intimidating, but it isn't nearly as frightening as the human version of himself standing in a glass chamber next to him. The dead looking clone is in every way a duplicate of a human Pokota, its only flaw is that it doesn't have a soul, which makes the body unsettling. Scratching his head with one of his large ears, Pokota glances at anything other than his copi.

It has been a little over three years since Taforashia's resurrection and Shabranigdo's ghost's destruction, but Pokota is just as nervous right now as he was then. Back then he was fighting for his country's existence, now it's like he's fighting for his own.

"Don't worry Pokota," Zelgadis says as he triple checks the machine once more. "I already did it on myself and it worked, so you have nothing to worry about."

Zelgadis is now human, for the most part at least. The cloned body has a few modifications in order to retain some of the strength from the original chimera body. When it is all said and done, Zelgadis still cannot live without the strength the mutated body Rezo provided for him. "Are you ready?" Zelgadis asks.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Pokota says calming his beating heart. Trying to keep his breathing at a steady pace is difficult given his current situation.

"Alright, the next time we see each other it will be through your new eyes." Zelgadis says with a thrill in his voice. The new Zelgadis doesn't realize that he looks like a mad scientist to Pokota, but Zelgadis cannot help it. He is excited about doing the experiment again and he gets a thrill out of it. His old obsessions still come out every now and again, even with obtaining his cure.

As the world turns into a blaring sheet of light Pokota feels his senses numb. The sensation doesn't leave him but lingers on up until his soul fully transfers into his new body. It was impossible to transfer a soul into a copi, or at least it was until Zelgadis found a way to do it.

Stumbling out of the machine Pokota gazes at his hand and touches his ears, only briefly glancing up at Zelgadis. He stares at his hands and after a quivering breath Pokota begins to laugh.

"I can't believe it! I mean, I do believe it but, Awe man this is amazing. Thank you so much Zelgadis, this is awesome," Pokota says as he laughs and begins to skips around the room. Skipping isn't such a good idea though, as Pokota's new body weakly gives out beneath his joyful step. Zelgadis is at his side in a moment helping the prince steady his balance.

"Idiot" Zelgadis says with a grin.

The two young men look roughly the same age, but Pokota is slightly shorter. When they made the new body they were approximating his age, so while Pokota should technically be older than Zelgadis, his body is a year or two younger.

"You can come in your majesty," Zelgadis calls towards the door behind him as he leads Pokota to a waiting chair. Like an apple falling on Newton's head Pokota's father races towards his son, colliding with a heavy but heartfelt embrace.

Zelgadis leaves the room and lets the small family have their moment together. As far as they are concerned, a miracle has happened today. Zelgadis likes the feeling that comes with helping in this miraculous accomplishment.

"Was it a success Mister Zelgadis?" Amelia asks as Zelgadis nearly runs into her, abruptly waking him from his thoughts.

The princess of Seyruun is accompanying Zelgadis on some of his travels and has come with him to Taforashia, mostly just to keep him company, but also to get out of the palace. Whenever she has the opportunity, Amelia loves to escape the mounds of paperwork constantly present on her desk. Moreover, traveling with Zelgadis on one of his quests is always a pleasure for her. But she is also here for diplomatic reasons; Prince Phil wants to check up on the newly developing country and its progress. Now that Pokota's experiment is over Amelia can discuss these matters with more ease. Amelia secretly hopes that Zelgadis will stay for a little while, before heading out again on another excursion.

Even after finding his cure a little over a year ago Zelgadis is constantly traveling in search of ancient spells and lost artifacts. The former chimera is having trouble staying in one place for long periods of time, and now that he has his cure, Zelgadis is thoroughly enjoying searching for the sake of simply searching. He always has a set goal of course, but its purpose is not nearly as stressful as before.

"Pokota is now a human being," Zelgadis tells her with a slight smile stretching across his pale skin. Of all the Slayers group, his skin is the lightest, he gets it from his great grandfather probably. "Pokota is a little weak, but that is normal. It should only take a few days for him to attain a steadier step."

"I see! That is wonderful news Mister Zelgadis. Today is a wonderful day for justice. Mister Pokota's good deeds for his country and friends are finally being rewarded." Amelia says as she begins to ramble off a cute justice speech. Her arms begin to wave to and fro as she points to the sky (or the ceiling in this case) which goes in unison with whatever it is she is saying. Zelgadis doesn't pay attention until she mentions him. "And you Mister Zelgadis! I'm sure your selfless endeavor has not gone unnoticed, good things are sure to come your way."

He smiles at her, but sighs. "The world doesn't work that way Amelia. You have to work for _some_ miracles to happen."

Amelia surprises her companion as she calmly drops her hands to her side and faces him. "I know that," Amelia says. "And it is up to people like us to work hard and make sure that the world remains wonderful."

Zelgadis nods his head as his thoughts wander into deeper contemplation over what she has just said. It reminds him of Rezo. It reminds him of what the man was supposed to represent, but failed to truly accomplish in life. Rezo ended up redeeming himself in the end and Zelgadis no longer holds a grudge, but he still finds himself reflecting on the great sage and his life. Zelgadis is now searching for Rezo's true face with a new reason; the great grandson of Rezo doesn't want to make the same mistakes. After helping Pokota, Zelgadis has a sinking reminder of Rezo. The Red priest helped and healed many people; Zelgadis is nearly convinced that his reasons for helping others are entirely different than Rezo's; nearly positive.

Amelia begins to worry when Zelgadis fails to respond, but she waits patiently.

"Am I like Rezo?" Zelgadis asks.

Blinking her eyes in confusion, the little princess tries to figure out where this question is coming from. Realizing her companion's strained relationship with the red priest, Amelia chooses her words carefully. "You are nothing like the Red Priest Rezo, Mister Zelgadis, you are not helping people to gain anything, and you are helping people because it is the right thing to do. Like a man of righteous justice ought to."

"Am I really?" Zelgadis frowns and Amelia wonders if her answer has offended Zelgadis. Maybe Amelia isn't aware of this, but whenever Zelgadis 'helps' someone they still need to pay him for his services.

"Of course you are, I can think of no greater man other than my father, Mister Gourry and Mister Pokota." Amelia says honestly.

Zelgadis hides a blush and slightly looks away from the princess. He doesn't admit it, but Amelia's words sting, because they aren't true, he doesn't see himself as a great man. Maybe a part of him has an honorable desire to help the weak, but there is another part of him that loves tearing people down. Watching people humiliate themselves. The monster is still there, even with a new body, because it isn't something that was made in his chimera body. It was something that he was born with.

"That's very nice of you to say Amelia," Zelgadis says simply. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome Mister Zelgadis," Amelia says cheerfully. Relief washes over her and a sense of accomplishment, it seems to her words of encouragement hit their mark. But they didn't.

"Well, I'll see you later," Zelgadis continues, walking away from her and down the elegant hall. "Pokota and your personal guard can escort you home when the diplomatic civilities are over."

"But-but where are you going," Amelia says as she turns towards him in flurry. She is clearly caught off guard.

Zelgadis doesn't stop but does turn his head towards her as he continues walking. "There is an old temple nearby that I stopped by during one of my cure searches a while back. Since I only had a one track mind back then, I'd like to explore any other information the temple might be holding. Just because it didn't have the answer for my cure doesn't mean it doesn't hold something else of value."

Amelia bites her tongue and tries not to pout as her companion walks away. After Zelgadis found his cure she assumed his need to travel and search would cease. It appears not.

Unbeknownst to her, Zelgadis is actually quite aware of her feelings towards him as he leaves her behind, but he doesn't stop. He doesn't want to deal with it right now, which makes him just as heartless as ever.

_AN: Well, here is another story starring Zelgadis. The beginning is going to be fairly easy going, a nice break for the usually tormented Zel. On another note, poor Amelia, but I'm glad Pokota gets to be human. The chapters will get longer as the story continues.  
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	2. Chimera Hunt

Chapter 2: Chimera Hunt

Zelgadis finds a gold mine of information at the temple, the ancient ruins are a great challenge to decipher and the artifacts are a joy to study. In comparison, searching these old texts is just like reading for pleasure rather than reading books assigned by a teacher. Instead of merely reading for a cure, he now reads for the simple purpose of gaining more knowledge. He can use the same study techniques he acquired in his melancholy hunt, but put them to a different use.

As Zelgadis searches the temple and other smaller shrines in the surrounding area, Zelgadis looses track of time. Occasionally Zelgadis runs into a wayward troll or bandit, but Zelgadis merely whips out his magically infused chimera gadgetry and fries his foes like a chicken on a stick.

These magical items are made from some of the remains of his previous body, the only things left and they certainly come in handy. If anyone were to steal them though, they would explode. Just like the gems Lina wears on her shoulders. Zelgadis doesn't want them falling into the wrong hands even if it mean losing them forever.

One item is a magical armor created from his 1/3 rock golem part and the other gem is a magic enhancer provided from his blow demon part. The only thing he wasn't able to transfer into an item was his chimera forms enhanced speed and heightened senses. The hearing and eye sight abilities are the only things he has included in his new body, thus the reason for his slit like monster eyes and slightly pointed ears.

After a week of studying passes, Zelgadis successfully uncovers the secrets to healing the blind, calling upon the element of diamond from the earth, cooking dragon cuisine and other random bits of information. Zelgadis doesn't realize it, but he is still searching for ways to become stronger. Not for the sake of destruction, but to protect what he feels he ought to.

But protecting what you ought isn't always so clear.

The only other information Zelgadis gathers from his excursion is from the beasts that occasionally attack him. Apparently there is a new bandit league in the country, which is giving the local thugs a run for their money. Zelgadis figures that it is only a matter of time before Lina finds them and wipes them off the face of the planet. Just like all the other bandits.

As Zelgadis travels into a nearby settlement, after his search in the temple is complete, he takes on a couple of odd jobs around town to earn some more coinage for his purse. Most of his income is attained through his work for Seyruun, but he has slowly been cutting his ties with the country. He doesn't want to be tied down by anything or anyone. In this current town he heals a few people and fights off a couple of bullies for a farmer, nothing too difficult. But peace and quiet only last so long.

Rumors of the new bandit league begin to circulate in the town soon after his arrival. Apparently this group of evil is roaming the area, causing a ruckus. According to the rumors many soldiers and mercenaries have tried to destroy the gang, but none have come back alive, leaving a very vague description of the bandits. Even those in the towns who are attacked are unable to describe their oppressors. In the end, all that can be said is that the mysterious group is shrouded in dark cloaks and covered from head to foot.

Zelgadis stays in the town as word of the bandits becomes more and more frequent. It is only a matter of time before the bandits hit this town and then Zelgadis can offer his services. The shamanist sorcerer can be a shrewd business man. Lina would give him a run for his money though.

As expected, the town is attacked ruthlessly one night and the outer homes are ransacked. No one is killed, but no one gets a clear look at their foes either.

True to form the town offers Zelgadis a large sum of money for his services and he gladly accepts the challenge. It doesn't take him long to track the infamous group down. A bandit gang this large cannot move very quickly and apparently they feel no need to hurry.

Without warning Zelgadis charges into the bandits camp and starts burning everything down. All goes smoothly until the identity of the bandits are revealed.

"You won't take us down so easily!" The bandit leader named Salit calls as he swings his two long knives at Zelgadis. The leader is covered head to foot and his features cannot be seen. The entire gang is dressed in similar fashion. They are completely hidden under layers of clothing.

"Then you should start working a little harder," Zelgadis says, tartly smiling as he easily parries the attack. Training with Gourry has certainly paid off.

"You don't know who you're messing with," Salit says as he throws his hood aside. Zelgadis tries not to let his surprise show, but he silently curses under his breath. The man is a chimera, and from the looks of it he is part human and part ogre. The other members begin removing their cloaks, men, women, and children, revealing their chimera nature. The leader continues. "You will rue the day you challenged the honor of the Striking Family!"

Swiftly scanning the scene, Zelgadis knows that he can easily take them all out, but he has lost his will to do so. Chimeras are extremely rare. One either becomes a chimera in order to become stronger in compliance with their own will or they are advantage of in the name of science, like him. Obviously, this group is most likely the later, since there are children amongst them. Another thing Zelgadis knows is that it is difficult for a chimera to make an honest living in this world. Basically your only choices are living underground working for a sorcerer or becoming a mercenary of some kind. Zelgadis remembers such days bitterly.

"Tell me, why did you steal from the village," Zelgadis asks. He wants to hear it from their own mouths. No point in jumping to conclusions, when the entire situation is far from his view.

"What do you think?" Salit says. He glares at Zelgadis coldly, trying to smile sarcastically, but failing. "Now be a good little man and leave us be, run in fear like all the other cowards."

Zelgadis wants to kill him then and there, but he refrains. "I will not fight you," Zelgadis says after careful thought, holding back his fierce aggravation. "But I will not run away either."

"Then you wish to die," Salit says as he carefully studies Zelgadis. The purple haired man before him looks like a fool in Salit's eyes.

"My name is Zelgadis Greywords. What if I told you that there is a method to improve your cruel fate," Zelgadis says loudly for all to hear.

Everyone stares blankly at Zelgadis; no mercenary has bothered telling them his name let alone stuck around long enough to carry on a conversation. Usually as soon as their chimera attributes are revealed the enemy runs away and never comes back.

Salit is the first to react. Breaking the awkward silence, the gruff man begins a heartless laugh. Some of the gangs members begin to join in with light chuckles as well, but a few weary souls look at Zelgadis with something likened to hope or at least curiosity. Some know exactly who he is and know a little of his history.

"Is it true?" One young man asks timidly. He can barley be heard over the loud ruckus of unkind laughter, but Zelgadis hears him.

"Yes," Zelgadis says.

Salit stops laughing. "Shut up, you filthy human. We can't believe anything you say." He turns towards his people and clarifies his train of thought. "It is true that Zelgadis was once a chimera, after all even we have heard the great stories about the adventures surrounding the amazing bandit killer Lina Inverse and her lap dog." He turns to Zelgadis and angrily walks up to the sorcerer staring down his nose. As Salit continues he does not bother lowering his voice, even though he is only a couple of inches in front of Zelgadis. "Why should we believe anything you say, friend of the bandit killer, we can get by fine without your pity. We don't need the help of a heartless swordsman like you."

Zelgadis glares back evenly at the taller man. "At least I do not exterminate foolish men who run in fear," Zelgadis can't help, but smile cruelly. "I wouldn't waste my time with them. But you murdered those mercenaries when they held no threat to you."

"We did no such thing," a random member of the crowd says.

"That's right," another echoes. "We let the cowards run."

Instantly a murmur of consent rolls through the group as they agree with their stand. Salit smiles at them encouragingly, before glancing at Zelgadis viciously out of the corner of his eye. "Go ahead and run little human," Salit says for all to hear. "We have no need for your lies."

They are _deaf_ to Zelgadis's logic.

In the pit of Zelgadis's stomach he feels the pangs of hate and disgust begin to boil within him. It is obvious to him where Salit's true intentions lie, but no one here has seen what Zelgadis has or even knows what he does. Besides, no one here has a reason to believe him anyway. The proof of his body is obviously not enough for them.

"If you wish to become human please come with me," Zelgadis says as he turns away in disgust from their leader. "If not, be aware that Lina Inverse will uncover your little family and will not be as lenient as I. Be prepared for that day, I won't say that I didn't warn you." He glances quickly at Salit, goading him slightly.

Daring him to follow.

A few brave chimera's step forward in an attempt to follow the stranger. They must be desperate if they are willing to trust a stranger, but the life of a chimera can do that to someone. One sharp look from their leader though and no one dares move. Zelgadis scoffs, man fears what they can see more than what they cannot. The one these people should fear is Lina Inverse, but Salit is the only monster visible, the people only know one kind of fear.

It is as if they are _blind_.

As Zelgadis walks on, he feels that he cannot blame them, but he also isn't going to turn his back on them either. All it takes is one hopeful person to follow him and everything will fall into place.

Zelgadis is prepared for what he knows is about to take place.

Shortly after Zelgadis's departure, quite a ways from the chimera camp, Zelgadis is attacked by Salit.

Salit doesn't announce his attack; he doesn't speak a word to Zelgadis as he relentlessly begins his assault. As Zelgadis looks into his opponent's eyes, all he can see is delight in Zelgadis's impending murder.

Each blow is bone crushing and it takes all of Zelgadis's concentration to avoid each attack. Part of him is tempted to fall into his old habits, but Zelgadis no longer has skin of stone to protect him. Even his special amulet isn't enough for these attacks. Leaping to and fro Zelgadis quickly sidesteps each blow, careful not to make an attack of his own. Luckily, Salit is not paying attention to his surroundings or considering Zelgadis's odd strategy of merely dodging him instead of fighting back. But Zelgadis is keenly aware of the young lad who is intently watching.

It doesn't take long for the young boy to hastily run away and return quietly with the people from the camp, now Zelgadis has the audience he needs.

"Please Salit, stop this attack. I have no intentions of hurting you or your people," Zelgadis says as he continues to dodge. "Just let me go like the others."

Salit easily takes the bait, "Ha! What do you mean let you go like the others? All the others are dead!" Salit says as he laughs with the swing of his blades.

"What are you saying," Zelgadis says. He takes note that his audience is growing.

"You of all men should know," Salit says, continuing his fight. The chimera is not growing weary at all, unlike Zelgadis who is quickly losing his strength. He doesn't have as much stamina as he use to. What a pain. "The best way to protect this family is to keep the witnesses to a minimum. How do you think we have remained unknown and unchallenged for so long." Finally Salit manages to kick a weary Zelgadis, sending him flying across the moist ground. They have been fighting for over fifteen minutes, perhaps even longer. Salit continues, "Of course, you already knew that, you must have known that when you came here. I'd hate to disappoint your expectations."

Zelgadis uses his elbows to brace himself as he struggles to lift his head. Carefully he watches Salit, and prepares to move if needed, but he's hoping he won't have to.

"Stop Mister Salit!" one man says as he moves out of the brush. He is followed by others and each begins to question their leader. "What's going on? Why don't you let the man go? Is what he said true? Are you a killer?"

Staggering back Salit attempts to explain himself, but his words only bury him deeper. Actions speak louder than words and every word that comes from his mouth does not excuse his battle with Zelgadis; a harmless human who has yet to make a move against Salit.

It is as if Salit has become _mute_.

Zelgadis speaks up, clarifying the situation for the chimera's, telling them how Salit has most likely been using them for his own power and ego. Their dishonorable leader is at a loss for words, but as his people begin to glare at him something snaps. He begins to attack them in a mad attempt to escape.

Before Zelgadis can scream at them to stop, the chimera clan kills Salit.

Biting his tongue and looking away Zelgadis curses under his breath. He still has a few questions for Salit, but now it looks like he isn't going to have the opportunity to ask them. Apparently this chimera community is pretty high strung.

After Salit is properly killed and the people take their revenge on his corpse, each chimera looks to Zelgadis for an explanation. It takes some time to convince the chimera of his honest intentions, but eventually he persuades them to returns the goods to the town and offers them sanctuary in Seyruun. He has no doubt that Amelia and Prince Phil will take in the chimera's. Zelgadis is also sure to clarify that he will only 'cure' the chimera's who wish to return to their original form. Not all of them are displeased with their new found abilities, but some immediately wish for a cure. Others require a cure as soon as possible; because they are poorly formed and incomplete, slowly dying due to their chimerism.

In Seyruun the chimeras are happily welcomed by the Royal house and council. Zelgadis sets to work immediately on those who wish to return to their human forms. Some of them were originally beast men, and Zelgadis helps them as well.

As the days wear on Zelgadis is sure to ask each of them how and who, turned them into chimeras. None of them have a clear answer.

Their stories begin to all sound the same to Zelgadis. "I was out picking flowers, or I was out farming, or I was chasing after a chicken when all of the sudden someone grabbed me. I was put into a dark cell and forced into a machine. I was transformed into a monster, a creature, a demon, an abomination and so on, but then Salit over powered the sorcerer and rescued us from our prison. He was our leader, but he wouldn't let us go back to our families. Some managed to escape and looked for their families only to return later with news that their families and close friends had all been killed."

Basically this is their story, making Zelgadis wish all over again that Salit was left alive.

When Zelgadis asks them where their prison was, no one can tell him. Each tells him a different story. Some claim it is on the outskirts of the Kataart Mountains, others say it is near a town in Dils, and still others claim that it is in Kalmaart. Obviously, whoever is behind this chimera operation is being careful to put a spell on his experiments, keeping the location a secret. Zelgadis hopes that over time the spell will break and someone will be able to remember something.

Checking over his notes Zelgadis sighs as he rubs his head in frustration at his desk in the Seyruun castle. He technically is still employed by Prince Phil and for his position he is provided an office and work area. It is rare for Zelgadis to use this room, especially recently with his attempts to escape, but it is certainly nice to have for moments like this in his travels. Turning his attention back to the papers and books littered in front of him, Zelgadis reanalyzes his findings. This recent outbreak of chimeras worries Zelgadis. The art of creating chimeras isn't a common practice these days and there are very few sorcerers out there who are capable of accomplishing the process successfully. Of course, not all of the chimeras he's helped have been in stable conditions.

A hand full of the chimera are far beyond help, so Zelgadis has no choice, but to fully transform their forms into chimera's in order to save them. Their human DNA is so damaged that it is impossible to recreate a complete human body for them. In such cases, their only choices are to either remain a chimera or accept a donors DNA for a recreated body that won't look like their original body. Then there are the few patients who are mentally unstable, and cannot survive a soul transfer.

Transforming someone into a chimera bothers Zelgadis, but he gets through it. He doesn't do it alone either. Unlike Rezo, Zelgadis doesn't have a large enough magic pool on his own, even with his enhanced blow demon item. He cannot do the transformations by himself, and receives the help from the white mages of Seyruun.

A swift knock rattles against his door and a white mage of Seyruun steps into Zelgadis's office. Zelgadis doesn't bother looking up, but gives a slight nod of acknowledgment to the man. "Sir, I have the documentation for Terrant here, patient V23. He wishes to remain a Chimera," the mage reports as he carefully places the papers in a specially designated drawer next to Zelgadis.

"That's fine," Zelgadis says as he jots down a note. "Keep an eye on his condition, and let me know if he shows any signs of instability."

"Yes, sir," the man says as he leaves the room. There are a few mages in Seyruun who have the knowledge to change a chimera back into their original forms thanks to Zelgadis. This way, Zelgadis figures that if something were to happen to him, the knowledge will remain available. The mages will be able to save both beast men and humans.

By the time the sun has set for the day Zelgadis has made a decision. He decides to find the sorcerer who is responsible.

His decision is not entirely based on his own personal issue with chimerism, but also his concern for the safety of Seyruun and the countries under the alliance. Whoever this person is, they are kidnapping people and killing their families. Looking at the clock, Zelgadis decides that after eating some delicious food and enjoying a good night's rest he will consult the records of recent deaths and start from there.

It takes over a week to cure the chimeras and acquire enough research of the recent murder cases, but it is necessary for the job at hand. When all the chimera cases are done and dealt with, Zelgadis gets ready to leave. He is nearly out of the palace, when Amelia comes running up to him in a dress. She had an important meeting with some representatives this morning and Zelgadis stares are her in shock as she stands panting in front of him.

"Princess Amelia, this is a surprise," Zelgadis says with a slight smile.

Amelia tries not to glare at him, but it is difficult. She has enjoyed spending time with Zelgadis during his recent stay here and is appalled that he is leaving without her. More than that, he isn't even going to say goodbye. "Mister Zelgadis, why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?"

"I didn't know the time of my departure until this morning. I made the decision only after word of Sahan's full recovery reached my ears. Any other chimera related issues should be simple for the mages here to handle." Zelgadis says, clearly explaining his logic with little emotion on his face.

"But where are you going?" Amelia asks, trying to hold her tongue and not express the other issues she really wishes to address.

"Your father has a full report, but I'm off to investigate the recent string of murders cropping up in and around the Elmekia area." Zelgadis patiently says.

Amelia furrows her brow in confusion. "But I thought Daddy already put men on that case."

"He did," Zelgadis says. "But I asked for his permission to investigate as well."

"I'll come with you then, once I get Daddy's permission, I'll be right back," Amelia says as she quickly flies back towards the castle.

Zelgadis smiles as he watches her, he prefers traveling alone, but he appreciates the young girls' enthusiasm. And yet, this new adventure isn't like his other quests. He knows already, that Prince Phil will say no, it is rare for the kind father to deny his daughter such requests, but there are other issues in Seyruun taking place right now. Zelgadis isn't allowed to know what they are, but they must be important. As the unknown issue churns in his mind, Zelgadis turns away from the palace and quickly makes his way out of the city. As he passes through the streets, he meets a few familiar faces and as they wave at him he waves back in turn. Some of them are still chimeras, but they are happy, no one here will look down on them for their appearance. Seyruun may not be perfect, but it is much more tolerant than most.

If he really wants to, Zelgadis can make this place his home, a few words is all it takes, but he cannot. It isn't his home and his desire to protect something isn't well placed. This city and Amelia aren't enough to change his feelings on the matter right now.

By the time Zelgadis makes it out of the city he is back to brooding. He also hopes that Amelia will not be too upset for being left behind, but it's probably for the best. The last thing Zelgadis wants is for a murdering chimera creating sorcerer to get his hands on Amelia. He doesn't want to see her in pain because of him.

Zelgadis has an excuse for everything.

Author's Note: I was suppose to update this last week, but I forgot since no one reminded me. Oh well, hope you guys enjoy this. Reviews or general comments are always appreciated.


	3. Old Faces

Chapter 3: Old Faces

Nothing eventful happens to Zelgadis until a few weeks later, when he makes his way into Elmekia and the town Untide. The town is originally named for its untidiness. Looking around Zelgadis is disappointed to find that the town is properly named. It truly is untidy looking, not disgusting or dangerous, just not aesthetically pleasing with all the loose laundry and weeds growing everywhere.

Sitting down to eat, Zelgadis relaxes in the afternoon air, until an unwelcomed guest arrives.

"Why hello Mister Zelgadis," Xellos says as he whips out a saucer and matching tea cup full of some unknown steaming liquid. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Go away Xellos," Zelgadis says as he attempts to ignore Xellos. How long has it been since he last saw this guy? Zelgadis can't really remember. It must be at least two years, back when Lina faced off with Zelas.

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend," Xellos asks. Without explanations Xellos moves to gaze at Zelgadis closely, successfully breaking into Zelgadis's personal space and unnerving the ex-chimera. "There's something different about you Mister Zelgadis, new hairdo?"

Zelgadis bites his tongue.

"Well, Zelgadis it looks like you finally found your cure, didn't I tell you it wasn't in the Clair Bible," Xellos says. The fake smile and closed eyes are really getting on Zelgadis's nerves. His life has been grand since the stupid Mazoku disappeared, but it looks like life is about to get interesting again.

"What do you want," Zelgadis finally asks.

"That's a secret, Zelly" Xellos laughs. "But thank you for asking; now I have a question for you. Your very life may depend on your answer." Xellos's eyes flash open revealing disturbing purple irises.

Zelgadis tries to refrain from letting the shiver down his spine show, knowing Xellos, it probably doesn't matter. But then Zelgadis realizes that Xellos is actually about to tell him the answer to his 'what do you want' question by asking a question of him. In confusion, Zelgadis searches the Mazoku's face suspiciously as Xellos closes his eyes with his features returning to their formal happy mask. "Ask away." Zelgadis says cautiously.

"Are you the only one who knows how to cure a chimera," Xellos asks simply.

"No," Zelgadis says with a sigh, there is no point in lying. If Zelgadis's memory serves him right, Xellos is not one to let others fool around unless he's the one doing the fooling.

"Oh that is wonderful news," Xellos says happily. "You are much smarter than your great grandfather, actually I hear that you are well on your way to becoming a great sage yourself. The rumors of your great deeds are spreading."

"You know rumors," Zelgadis says carefully. "They are all over exaggerated."

"Perhaps," Xellos says without changing his mood or tone. It's disturbing, but Zelgadis expects nothing less from Xellos. Besides, the last thing Zelgadis wants is for the Monster Race to consider him a 'happy hero goody two shoes sage' who is too well off for his own good, giving the monsters a special reason to destroy him. That would be a silly reason to die.

"I am surprised you're still alive," Xellos continues. "The transfer from invincible chimera to vulnerable human must be difficult. I was nearly positive that you would die after your first battle with a sword."

"I manage somehow," Zelgadis says.

Xellos smiles at Zelgadis, but neither says anything for a good minute. Zelgadis is beginning to consider that Xellos is no longer really there and is just an illusion when Xellos finally speaks up again. "Do you remember Wizer Frayon," Xellos asks.

Zelgadis tries to hide his surprise and slight concern. Prince Phil told Zelgadis that the crazy detective/police/dignitary/ was working on the murder case for his own country, but Zelgadis doesn't want Xellos to know this. "Do you mean the passionate imbecile who was chasing Lina around all those years ago?" Zelgadis says, trying to play dumb.

"Why yes," Xellos says.

"What about him," Zelgadis asks.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about him," Xellos says in a sickeningly cheerful manor. "Have a nice day." And with that he vanishes from the restaurants patio.

Zelgadis thinks carefully on Xellos's words. In sudden realization, Zelgadis runs into the restaurant. "Did a man named Wizer Frayon come by recently?" Zelgadis asks the owner quickly.

After the owner has recovered from his shock, he stammers a polite reply in the affirmative and tells Zelgadis that Wizer has been there this very morning.

Without missing a beat, Zelgadis races out of the building and begins to search for Wizer. First he asks around town, and then he searches the farm lands and fields. Without explanation, Zelgadis has the sinking feeling that Wizer is in way over his head. Xellos doesn't mention random people for no reason. And the monster never gives a straight answer either, making Zelgadis hope that he isn't an idiot on a wild goose chase in search of a man he hardly knows. In his search Zelgadis stumbles across the investigator, but only after walking into an apparent trap.

In an abandoned farm house Wizer is tied up and in the mist of being questioned by one of many cloaked figures standing in the room. When Zelgadis steps into the room the masked assailants fail to respond. They just stare at Zelgadis and the figure questioning Wizer ignores Zelgadis completely and continues his interrogation.

Before the men can gain the upper hand, Zelgadis begins to attack the men. None of them make any effort to counter him, but easily fall to the ground as the blade of Zelgadis's sword strikes them down. Briefly glancing at his fallen foes, Zelgadis studies one of them closely and is disturbed by what he sees. It is a chimera with glowing red eyes.

Shaking his head and waking himself from gloomy thoughts, Zelgadis proceeds to cut Wizer loose. "Can you stand?" Zelgadis asks as he helps a bruised and battered Wizer to his feet.

"Yes, and better yet I can run," Wizer says with a grin. Zelgadis nods stoically with a slight smile on his own face, as the two men race outside.

Before long, the two have made it back to Untide and are catching their breath near one of the towns' statues. At lease, Zelgadis assumes that it is a statue; it isn't well maintained and looks more like a moldy rock.

"I believe thanks are in order lad, my name is Wizer Frayon," Wizer says as he extends a thankful hand towards Zelgadis. The said rescuer accepts the hand and gives it a sturdy and short shake

"Don't you recognize me Mister Frayon," Zelgadis says and nearly laughs as he watches a puzzled expression crease over Wizer's face. Wizer is wondering whether or not this man is perhaps an enemy of his, since Wizer doesn't make too many friends. It's all in the business. "My name is Zelgadis Greywords," Zelgadis clarifies.

Now Wizer's face lights up. "AH HA, the young man who was traveling with the criminal Lina Inverse . . . what was it . . . three years ago. Time sure passes me by. I had heard that you found a cure, but I didn't think I would have the distinct pleasure of ever running in to you again." Wizer says, smiling warmly. But then his face turns slightly mischievous. "You are also gaining a reputation, many say you will become the shrewdest great sage in history. Actually demanding money for your services."

Zelgadis shrugs his shoulders and replies simply, "I have to make a living."

"Ah, of course, of course," Wizer says in a way that can easily get on ones nerves. While Wizer acts annoying and brash, he actually has a sharp mind that Zelgadis knows better than to ignore. "So how did you find me?" Wizer asks.

"Well, I had a little help unfortunately," Zelgadis says. He tries not to show any emotion on his face, but he can feel a slight grimace tugging at the edge of his mouth. "Xellos told me a secret."

"Well aren't you lucky," Wizer says as he laughs again. "The next time I see him I'd like to kill him for what he has made me suffer through."

"You're not the only one, but it can't be done," Zelgadis sighs.

"But that is interesting, he decides to show his foolish grin yet again," Wizer says. "Now that is interesting . . ." He trails off in thought only to be brought back with another question from Zelgadis.

"Have you found any leads in the disappearances and murder cases," Zelgadis asks with indifference.

Wizer looks at him with puzzlement, but then smiles. "So you've taken an interest as well have you?"

"I have a feeling that your case coincides with a recent dilemma of my own." Zelgadis says hesitantly.

"You wouldn't be referring to the chimera outbreak would you?" Wizer says through a smirk. Zelgadis hides his surprise and merely nods in the affirmative. "Well, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm sharing some of my findings with you, after all you did save my life. It would be impolite of me to ignore such generosity. But let's find someplace quiet to talk; I'm sure this bucket hole has a decent place to eat. Someone in my sorry state could do with a good meal."

The two come across a fairly well kept restaurant and Wizer begins to share a few of his findings.

"They are brainwashed Chimera's," Wizer says bluntly. "A couple of weeks back I came close to discovering the whereabouts of a kidnapper near Taforashia. But when I found out that the villain was a sorcerer, I was out of luck. By the time I tracked down his lair, the place was empty; completely deserted, with nothing left, no evidence whatsoever. I assume from your appearance though, that it must have been the labs that transformed your recently recovered refugees."

Wizer pauses for dramatic effect, but Zelgadis remains silent. He wants Wizer to get on with his whole story, because he knows that there must be more. Wizer takes the hint and continues.

"While you were busy curing and rescuing the chimera, I was here following a lead which claimed that monsters had been seen with red eyes. Well, I found them, but not after their leader mind controlled them and ordered them to question me. They kept asking me the strangest questions over and over again. Of course I refused to answer. What kind of investigator would I be if I gave an inch, hahaha!" Wizer begins to laugh heartily as Zelgadis rolls his eyes. This guy really likes hearing the sound of his own voice.

While the information that Wizer has given him is informative, it doesn't help Zelgadis find this supposed crazy sorcerer. Zelgadis is going through the information thoroughly in his mind and is in deep in thought, so he doesn't notice when Wizer stops laughing.

"You know they asked about you," Wizer says quietly.

Zelgadis snaps out of his thoughts and gazes critically at Wizer. "Really?"

"Yes, quite a few times actually," Wizer says leaning back into his chair. "Aren't you a lucky guy?"

"What did they ask?" Zelgadis says, half hoping that Wizer is joking about the whole thing.

Wizer closes his eyes and considers keeping the information to himself, but if Zelgadis is going to take on this case, he's going to need all the help he can get. "They asked whether or not you knew how to create a chimera. They also asked about whether or not it was true, that you could cure a chimera. And thirdly they wanted to know if anyone else knew the secret to curing a chimera."

"I see . . ." Zelgadis quietly mumbles.

"And like I said, I didn't tell them a thing," Wizer reminds Zelgadis. "Even if I knew the answers I wouldn't have told them."

Zelgadis's head slams against the table in dismay at hearing Wizer blatantly admit such a thing. Grunting in annoyance, Zelgadis rises from the table, offering Wizer a curt thank you and goodbye.

"I'm sure we'll see each other very soon," Wizer says, winking at him.

Zelgadis waves behind him and desperately hopes against it. So one of the maddened sorcerer's questions was whether or not anyone else knew the secret to curing a chimera. The exact same question Xellos asked him. Zelgadis desperately hopes that Xellos isn't working for his new enemy. Maybe he should give up now and go back to his endless search for nothing in particular. But is that really what he needs? Is that what he wants? People were dying and he was actually considering turning his back on them. If he did that he would be no better than his possessed great grandfather. At least Rezo had an excuse for being evil.

At this disturbing thought another obscure reflection hits him. It's kind of creepy considering that it is actually Shabranigdo who created Zelgadis's chimera form.

With a shiver, Zelgadis tries to move on.

As Zelgadis searches for the evil sorcerer, the attacks by possessed chimera become more frequent. The attacks make his job more difficult, but it also tells him that he is getting closer.

With the use of his special chimera items, Zelgadis has little trouble defeating them. The most disturbing thing is that the possessed chimera do not wake from the spell after being knocked out, unlike him with Lina Inverse. Now either Lina has a special ability for breaking mind control spells, or this spell is different from the one Rezo used on him. Eventually Zelgadis starts using a Megido Flare spell to save the chimeras. The white magic spell works and Zelgadis sends the confused men and women to Seyruun, confident that they will receive the help they need from Amelia and Phil. Zelgadis doesn't have enough power to transform them back into humans on his own.

As Zelgadis continues to save the possessed people, he also begins to notice that they are better made. At first the chimeras were strange and not well suited for battle, but now their forms have become stronger and enhanced with magic.

For a couple of weeks Zelgadis fights and believes that he has discovered the sorcerers hide out, but he doesn't charge in. Instead he sends news to Seyruun informing them of his find and even sends word to Wizer.

Zelgadis patiently waits in a town called Hitchup Tellit, near the evil Sorcerers base. The town is quaint and apparently named after a famous storyteller who had a bad case of hiccups. Either that or the town is named after a woman who had trouble hitching up something to her cart. Recently the town has been suffering from a rampage of disease. Zelgadis knows that this is most likely a virus traveling through the air and a side effect due to the experimentations taking place near their town.

A similar thing occurred in the towns near where Rezo worked; outbreaks of disease were common if the corpses of the chimera experimentations were not properly disposed of.

Zelgadis helps those he can for money. He also helps those who can't afford it, but if they can afford it he makes them pay accordingly.

Waiting at a local tavern, Zelgadis's pleasant afternoon is interrupted when a certain trickster priest pops in.

"Well hello again, Zelgadis," Xellos says as he sips from his cup of tea.

"Likewise," Zelgadis says with a grunt. Another otherwise perfect day is ruined.

"Do you still have those trinkets that carry a piece of your old powers on you," Xellos asks pleasantly.

Zelgadis raises an eye brow and tries to ignore the monster. "It's none of your business."

"I think you depend on those things too much," Xellos says, without changing his tone or expression.

"Pfft, thanks for the concern," Zelgadis says sarcastically.

"I also think you should get your sword out," Xellos say happily as his eyes open into slits and gaze at Zelgadis intently.

Before Zelgadis can glare or react aggressively at Xellos's comment. The tavern explodes into a fire ball of flames. Zelgadis shields himself in a barrier and manages to help a few innocent bystanders out into the street.

"You should have told me to prepare a barrier spell instead," Zelgadis says in a near scream at a floating Xellos.

"I didn't think he would be so rash," Xellos says innocently.

Grunting in annoyance, Zelgadis begins to fight off the horde of chimera, descending upon him in a wave. At the head of this mayhem happens to be a monster.

"Could this day get any worse," Zelgadis says under his breath.

Xellos begins to attack the monster, while Zelgadis attempts to knock out the brain washed chimera. At first Zelgadis is shocked having Xellos fight on his side, but as the numbers of chimera grow Zelgadis is secretly thankful. The last thing he needs is to fight two monsters and an army of chimera. Falling like dominoes on a turn table, the chimera soldier's drop at Zelgadis's hand. When Zelgadis looks up again, he notices that Xellos is fighting two monsters instead of just one.

"What are you waiting for just kill them," Zelgadis says to Xellos, as he kicks down an assailant.

"Oh don't be so pushy, I still want to know what they want," Xellos says as he attempts to capture one of the monsters.

"Just kill them, whatever they want can't be that important," Zelgadis says with annoyance.

"So you're saying I should just let them go? My Zelgadis I didn't realize you thought so lowly of yourself," Xellos says mischievously.

"What?" Zelgadis asks. He looks up with confusion at Xellos as the monsters words (and his own) play over in his mind. Xellos has taken Zelgadis's words literally. Obviously the monsters are after Zelgadis, so Zelgadis has just called himself unimportant. "That's not what I meant!"

"Hmm, very well, I suppose I'll just kill them," Xellos says. The two monsters he is facing seem to hesitate as Xellos's stance changes. One monster, which is short and twitching a lot, starts to run away, while the other taller monster, with a straw coolie hat on his head, forces a blinding light to cover their escape route.

By the time the light fades away Xellos is standing in the middle of a chimera puddle. There is no sign of Zelgadis.

"My master will not be pleased," Xellos says.

_Author's Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger. For once I made a conscious effort to end chapters at convenient plot points instead of every four thousand words. What is going to happen to Zelgadis? Something terrible, of course, but hopefully something that you will not immediately expect. Comments are appreciated._


	4. Lose it All

Chapter 4: Lose it All

After the flash of light, Zelgadis feels strong hands grab him as his body begins to experience an odd sense of weightlessness. When a sharp pain erupts across his skull, the bright light fades into pitch black.

"By the stars of L-same you're finally awake and not a moment too soon," a man says inches in front of a chained and gagged Zelgadis. Zelgadis is not thrilled in the slightest and attempts to use the strength from his magical item to escape this degrading plight. But not before the creepy man in front of him snatches the trinket out of his clothing. "Oh, oh, oh Zelgadis Greywords, how could you possibly rely on something so . . . so . . ." The item explodes as the evil man tosses it into the air, ". . . worthless." He giggles in delight as he skips around Zelgadis, which sickens our captive hero even more.

"There must be more, Mmmm? And what else do we have here," the man says as he stops in front of Zelgadis. The villainous sorcerer begins to pat Zelgadis down. The touch infuriates Zelgadis, but at least this way he can get a closer look at his enemy. The evil mans eyes are hazel, with strands of yellow doted inside its core. The strange eyes sends a disturbing chill up Zelgadis's spine. He also has light blue hair, pale white skin and clothes meant for a high ranking sorcerer. In elegant folds of white, grey, and blue, his robes and armor tightly hang over his body. He is taller than Zelgadis and has the appearance of someone in their late twenties or early thirties. It is very difficult to pin point his age.

Before long, the sharply dressed sorcerer finds the blow demon trinket neatly nestled around Zelgadis's waist.

"Well of course you would still have something from your cheerless past dragging you down," the sorcerer says. "You don't need this; you already have everything you need." With a twirl and quick spin of delight, he throws the trinket to the ground as it explodes in a dazzling show of light and sparks.

"Ha, HA! What a wonderful day today is turning out to be, wouldn't you agree Gadis-wadis, hmm, hmm." He says as he steps in front of Zelgadis once again with a sickening smile on his face. "After all . . ." the joy in his instantly changes dark and serious. " . . . I have been waiting so very long to meet you, heir of Rezo the Red."

Zelgadis glares at the man, not wanting to give the sorcerer the satisfaction of seeing him struggle.

"Oh, you're no fun. Why bother acting so tough," the man says as he casually walks away with a slight swagger. "Did your gloomy past make you into this emotionless monster Zel? That is what your friends call you isn't it. What a shock. You actually have friends; maybe you should have brought them with you. HA! Or perhaps you tried and they said no." He laughs and his joyful demeanor returns to Zelgadis's displeasure. After the sorcerer is a short distance away, he pivots daintily back to face Zelgadis once again. A joyful bound in his step.

"Well I suppose we should get back to business, ha ha! Of course this business transaction will be completely one sided. Hhhmm hhmmm. Chezem, Klide, Ditle, please come here."

Three monsters appear in a row directly behind the mad man. Instantly, Zelgadis recognizes two of them as the monsters who were attacking Xellos earlier. The other is a new face. Unlike the other two he looks nearly human, with blond hair and blue eyes. Any woman who met him would fall for his charm if they met. Zelgadis glares at the monsters and the handsome monster smiles back, revealing an unnatural shark like grin. The glaring captive frowns, so much for looking human.

"These are my friends and they are going to help me out with my latest experiment, won't that be fun!" the sorcerer says gaily. As before, his happiness bluntly disappears and is replaced by a creepy demeanor of self control and calm. "Not too long ago you stumbled across the chimera group that I had left under Salit's care. I was most put out when you intervened and my precious experiments followed you back to Seyruun. Don't you realize how much time I spent on them? And after I granted them a few weeks of fresh air. Tisk Tisk. At least they are still all together, but then you had to go ahead a turn most of them back into humans and pure blood beast men." The man pauses as he raises his finger at Zelgadis. A slight playfulness returns back to his eyes. "That was way past un-cool."

"Anyway," the cold hearted sorcerer says, as he begins to ramble off once again. "It really does seem that you are making a real name for yourself Zel. A real great sage wannabe, but alas you aren't quite ready for that miraculous task I am afraid. After all, what is a sage without first experiencing some heart wrenching trial!"

In a flash the man races in front of Zelgadis and desperately grabs him by the clothes. "I'm not the villain here," he cries shaking Zelgadis roughly before letting him go and putting on an act that would make any director proud. "I am doing this all for the world, that they may move forward and become something chaos herself would actually be proud of. That is why I've been experimenting so fervently recently; it's such a shame I have to go to such lengths, in secret even! But alas not everyone understands their own plight. They are blind, mute and deaf to it. . ." The evil man stops abruptly, frozen in an elegant pose as an idea strikes him. "Ah of course!" he snaps his fingers. "I now know what trial you must endure on your journey to becoming the next great sage! Your trial shall mirror the plight that plagues all the people, including your great grandfather."

He dances to one of the many tables scattered around the lab and begins to drop down some notes, while speaking them aloud. "I must make certain that you won't be able to cure yourself and transfer yourself into a new body. This seal must be grafted to your very soul, yes that's it! And it is possible; every curse doesn't just affect your body. Just like Rezo's curse. That way you will have to go deep within yourself for salvation and become what you are truly meant to be."

"First your mouth shall be sealed. Chezem!" the man says. "Seal his voice."

The smiling Mazoku steps forward, still grinning, as he moves towards Zelgadis. With his left hand he grabs Zelgadis's jaw and with his right he seizes his throat. As Zelgadis gasps for air, Chezem removes Zelgadis's voice from his body and soul before ripping off the gag.

Zelgadis tries to curse out the monster, but nothing escapes his lips. Chezem snickers.

"Oh goody, this way you won't be able to cast any magic spells either. But don't worry, I won't seal off your magic, if you become great enough you should be able to cast spells without using your voice, just like the great sages of old AH HA! And now for your pointy ears; Ditle would you do the honors."

Ditle steps forward stiffly and Zelgadis has the honor of actually seeing under the monsters large collie hat and into his cold silver steal eyes.

"By sealing away each of your senses using three different Mazoku it will make the job of curing yourself even harder." The man continues as Ditle gently places his hands near Zelgadis's sensitive ears. "By splitting the sealing curse it will nearly be impossible for you actually. I suppose since you won't be able to hear me after this I should give you some last minute instructions. . ." He pauses as Ditle patiently waits.

A sickening silence ticks by as Ditle waits.

Zelgadis's eyes widen in fright, he cannot believe that this is actually happening. Is it real? He gazes at Ditle and tries to speak. When nothing comes out of his mouth he knows the truth. Yes, yes this is real.

"Hmm, well nothing comes to mind, sorry Zel," The sorcerer says in a mocking tone as Ditle softly places his long cold nails over Zelgadis's ears and head. Swiftly, the evil sorcerer's demon like giggle turns silent. There is nothing to hear, not even the buzz of his quickening pulse. There is nothing at all.

Sweating with fear, Zelgadis watches as the last monster, the shortest one named Klide, floats in front of Zelgadis. Rezo's great grandson begins to panic as the monsters cold hands reach out towards his face. In desperations, Zelgadis begins to silently scream and struggle against his bounds, but to no avail. Like thin ice hitting the floor, the monsters hands break into Zelgadis's eyes and mind. That is the last thing he sees as everything turns into nothing.

Immediately, Zelgadis goes into shock and faints, becoming completely numb to the world around him. By the time he wakes up, Zelgadis is forced to face the reality that he is now mute, deaf, and blind.

_Author's Note: It was my sister's idea to make Zelgadis mute, deaf, and blind. Blame her. When I originally got to this point of the story, I had a list of things I could do to him, but my sister convinced me that writing from the perspective of a blind, mute and deaf man would be good for me. Let's just say it wasn't easy._


	5. New World

Chapter 5: New World

He feels the moist mud against his clammy face and realizes that his bonds have been removed. For a moment Zelgadis doesn't want to move, he just wants to lie there in the dirt and die. It has been so long since he's felt this sorrow, felt lost, and without purpose, but here he is again, right back where he started. Did anything even change?

A cool breeze hits his face and he suppresses a shiver, he wants to get warm, more than he wants to die. He begins to crawl and dig his nails into the gritty earth beneath him. With each humiliating movement he vows for revenge. He prays for the strength and will to live through this vacant nightmare.

While crawling, Zelgadis briefly considers trying to stand and walk instead, but his thoughts are cut short when an unfamiliar smell enters his nostrils. Instead of a fresh moist dirt smell, he now becomes aware of an odorous stench suffocating him. Zelgadis stops and feels around the dirt for anything to give him a hint. While living with Rezo, Zelgadis learned the importance of relying on your other senses in order to survive. While Zelgadis only has smell, taste and touch at his disposal, the desperate man is determined to use these small favors. Moreover, he hopes that the stench is nothing more than cow dung. Sadly it is not, and his hand comes across something round, hard, and made of leather.

A shoe.

Zelgadis gazes up with unseeing eyes towards the person he knows is there. His face shows no emotion, merely a shadow of the turmoil he has just experienced.

Without warning the shoe he is touching shoves him roughly away and Zelgadis begins to crawl, reaching for his sword. But it isn't there.

He doesn't get far as he runs into another person who roughly kicks him in the stomach. Giving out a silent cry, Zelgadis crumples to the ground. Zelgadis realizes that there is more than just one man now, he is probably surrounded. No wonder the stench from earlier is so strong, but how many of them are there? By the smell, he can only guess that there are too many of them.

Pain slashes through him as fists, feet, and knees smash into him. His world becomes a chaotic darkness. It's times like this that he wishes for his old body, but that is in the past and there is no going back to it now. The jabs keep coming and coming and Zelgadis is nearly positive that he will pass out from it all. He lies still, in an attempt to not provoke his assailants further, hoping that they will lose interest. Eventually the invisible hands become less frequent and with one final kick and spit it all stops.

Twitching slightly, Zelgadis lies still as the sharp pain turns into a numbing throb. His jagged breathing begins to relax and Zelgadis is about to begin crawling again when something warm touches his hand. Reflexively, Zelgadis flinches and tries to sit up, backing away, but then two hands grasp his hand steadily. He stops and waits, staring forward at nothing, but what he hopes is something. For a moment it almost seems like he can see something, but his mind is only showing him what he longs to see. The smell of warm clay enters his nostril and he feels a slight film of grit on the hands holding his.

For a time, the small hands don't move, but surround him in comforting warmth. Zelgadis doesn't like being touched, he has had horrible experiences with touch, but he doesn't want the hands to go away. Right now it is one of the few things he has left.

Softly, the hand on top of his pats it gently before disappearing. Fighting off panic, Zelgadis reaches out for the kind hand, but swipes at thin air. Calming his initial shock, Zelgadis rationalizes that the pat on his hand was some kind of communication. Does he dare wait and hope that the kind hands will return? Well, Zelgadis isn't the same man he once was, so he nervously waits, in the middle of what he assumes is a dirty street.

What seems like an eternity to Zelgadis is only five minutes when the comforting small hands return.

Another hand, a bigger and clay warn hand slides underneath the smaller one and gently pats Zelgadis's hand. Perhaps the child brought his parent, Zelgadis rationalizes. Part of him wants to stubbornly get to his feet and walk away, but his body is battered and possibly bleeding. Such foolish persistence might only lead to his death, and so, with great humiliation, Zelgadis accepts the help of the larger man as he steadily raises Zelgadis to his feet and hoists one of his arms around his shoulder.

Zelgadis can feel the man's warm breath as he nearly carries Zelgadis somewhere. He can smell lunch on the man's breath and only then does he realize how hungry he is. How long has it been since he ate? Actually how long has it been period! Pain erupts in Zelgadis's side again as they walk along, but he tries not to let it show on his face. A small hand comfortingly pats his dangling hand as they continue to move forward.

Soon they reach a door and he can feel the small child wiz past him as the father says something. Zelgadis can feel the air going in and out of the man's mouth in a rhythm and assumes that the man is talking. Another form rushes towards him and lifts Zelgadis's other arm around them. This time it is a slender form with thinner arms. He also feels breasts as the person helps the man carry Zelgadis somewhere. Perhaps this woman is the child's mother, the man's wife.

Gently they lower Zelgadis onto something soft; a small bed, judging by the feel of a pillow and quilted sheet. He nearly bumps his head on a wooden head board and figures that it is the child's bed. After they carefully get him comfortable on the bed, they close the door and open a window near his head. He can feel the change of air moving around him. Without warning Zelgadis's rescuers proceed to remove his clothing, which startles Zelgadis. He hastily snaps into a sitting position as pain begins to erupt through his aching body. Foolishly he tries to get away, but the pain is too much and he sinks back onto the bed as his heart begins to pound. What is he so afraid of? The worst has already happened hasn't it? And then he feels the woman's hand gently touch his face, which is enough to calm him down. Zelgadis blushes and prays to whoever is in charge of the world to just swallow him up, but he remains alive and the kind people begin to dress his wounds.

As they dress some of his wounds he feels the door to the room open and a new form enters. A vibration like wood dragging on wood emits from under him. The new body that smells like damp cloth stops in front of him. The new person must be sitting on a chair. Two hands move over him and begin to apply a healing spell. The pain leaves his body and Zelgadis breathes a sigh of relief, closing his exhausted eyes. An aroma of soup entertains his senses as someone feeds him some broth. After he has his fill, Zelgadis attempts to turn towards his hosts and thank them but sleep over takes him as the magic using doctor administers a sleep spell. Cursing his weakness, Zelgadis falls into a dreamless sleep.

When he awakens, he feels the warm rays of sunlight from the window above him hit his body. The child is also there to greet him and clasps Zelgadis's right hand. Zelgadis suspects that this will become a ritual between the two new friends. Carefully, the child takes Zelgadis by the hand and gives him a robe to put on. Before long, the child is leading the patient out of the room and sits him at a table, where Zelgadis smells food.

At first Zelgadis doesn't really know what to do, he feels the meal in front of him and finds a fork. Judging by the feel and smell of the food it must be eggs and bacon. Zelgadis bows his head in thanks to whoever is there and begins to eat happily. After the meal Zelgadis is led outside by the child who sets him down on a bench. Carefully, Zelgadis reaches forward and feels a hand railing, with planks reaching down, stretched out in front of him. He must be on a porch in the front or back part of the family's home.

The child lets Zelgadis feel around the porch and waits for Zelgadis to get comfortable in the chair before reaching for his hand once more. This time the child puts Zelgadis's hand onto their face. Smiling softly, Zelgadis silently thanks the child and pats them on the head, mouthing 'thank you'. He gently feels the clothing and hair and deduces that it is a little girl, since she is wearing a dress. As his hands rest of her shoulders, he feels her happily jump up and down when a slender hand takes his shoulder. It must be the mother. The woman proceeds to let Zelgadis touch her face as well, giving Zelgadis a clearer idea of what these people look like.

Zelgadis has had experience with deaf and blind people before. When working with Rezo, it was quite common to meet such people. It is strange having the roles switched. Back then it was he who allowed the blind to touch his face. As he remembers the past, Zelgadis get's an idea. While working under Rezo, Zelgadis learned many languages, including sign language.

Daring to hope Zelgadis puts his right hand, palm towards himself, onto his mouth and moves his hand out, signing the word '_thank you_'.

No response comes immediately, but eventually a gentle pat on his shoulder can be felt. Obviously these people don't understand him. If they had, the next step would have been to take his hands and start signing back. Zelgadis smiles solemnly and sits back into his seat, deciding that it is time to sort through this dilemma.

Nothing truly eventful happens that day, but Zelgadis has come to the decision that his best bet is to wait and hope he can communicate with someone. When he can, then he will have the opportunity to send word to Seyruun and get the help he needs. For now he must bite his tongue and graciously accept the help and kindness being offered to him by this family. His stubbornness is constantly nagging at his back, but logic and concern win out. Besides he feels utterly helpless at the moment.

The next day Zelgadis awakens to the warm sun and the little girl's hands dragging him out of bed. This time though, the father takes him to another part of their home, after breakfast. Immediately, Zelgadis notices the distinct smell of wet clay as the man sets him down on a low seat. Carefully, Zelgadis reaches forwards and realizes that he is sitting in front of a potter's wheel. He feels a lump of clay, a vessel of water, and a switch of sorts that makes the wheel spin. A hand rests on his shoulder gently and Zelgadis offers a small smile and slight nod in understanding.

He turns on the wheel and gets to work. Zelgadis has learned many skills, but throwing a pot isn't one he practices often. He prefers playing the guitar, but that doesn't mean he hasn't learned how to work with clay. Long story short, Rezo had many hobbies and dolls wasn't the only one. Someone had to make the Hellmasters jar after all. As the wheel turns Zelgadis tries to remember how to press his thumb and hand against the outside and inside of the clay at the same time. The challenging part is keeping your outside hand steady and strong against the fingers on the inside slowly pushing out. Push to much one direction and you make a hole. Too much the other way and the vessel becomes lopsided, eventually caving in on itself.

For the rest of the day Zelgadis attempts to make a pot, between meals, and successfully makes one complete cup by the end of the day. Using some left over clay he twists it and applies it to the cup, making a nice handle. Zelgadis may not be able to see it, but as far as he is concerned, it is perfect.

A few days pass like this and Zelgadis falls into a content routine. He gets better at making pots and the owner is thrilled. Zelgadis cannot hear the man's praise, but he can feel it every time the man claps him on the back, the man seems to be getting more and more excited. This encourages Zelgadis and he keeps going.

Never before has Zelgadis been so open or accepting of people's kindness, but there is freedom in not knowing the families identity. He doesn't have a reputation to uphold, there are preconceptions or obligations making him act like the cold heartless swordsman he usually is. Sure, Zelgadis is still unemotional and quiet, he's still Zelgadis. But now he has no choice but to be quiet.

Considering his current state Zelgadis is resigned to accept this as his new curse.

_Author's Note: It is perhaps a bit of a stretch to believe that Zelgadis knows sign language and can work with clay, but I figure if Rezo could make a 'jar' than Zelgadis should be able to figure out how to throw a pot._

_On the other hand, trying to write descriptions from a mute, deaf, and blind man's perspective is not only difficult, but scary. Personally, it makes me thankful. I hope, as the reader, you do not feel too lost, but lost enough to feel Zelgadis's pain._

_And yes they have some electricity in the outer world, thanks for reading this Aeon!_


	6. Evil Comfort

Chapter 6: Evil Comfort

After being with the family for nearly a week, Zelgadis can walk around the entire house without a guide. He attempts to use his magic to heighten his other senses, but only time will tell whether or not this scheme will work. As far as Zelgadis knows, his magic pool is quite small without his blow demon amplifier.

As Zelgadis finishes up his cup of coffee, with the little girl tugging at his leg for attention, a cold breeze enters the room as the back door flies open. The little girl stops jumping and Zelgadis puts a protective arm around her. It feels like evil is in the room. After some careful thought, Zelgadis releases the girl and nods at her. He doesn't see her nod back at him, but he feels her swift steps as she runs to her mother in the other room.

Trying to think of a plan, Zelgadis hopes that this evil will not harm the family. That's the last thing he wants, but then the figures ice cold hands takes Zelgadis's hand and lifts it to his face. Zelgadis hesitantly studies the figure's cold face. It is a man with closed eyes and a smiling mouth. As recognition dawns in Zelgadis, a strange coldness seeps into his mind making Zelgadis lash out and stand to his feet.

"_Now, now Zelgadis, don't you recognize me,"_ Xellos says in Zelgadis's mind. Hastily Zelgadis freezes up and angrily sits back in his seat. _Leave me alone!_ is all Zelgadis is thinking at the moment, and yet, he can finally hear another voice. Even if it is the voice of a monster, Zelgadis's heart leaps with joy for hearing a sound of some kind. A communication he can clearly understand without speculation or imagination.

"_I can't read thoughts, Zelgadis, unless you give me permission to possess you,"_ Xellos says happily.

Zelgadis gives a look of degust and shakes his head in a vehement 'no!' He makes an X with his arms, emphasizing his rejection of the idea. Not really sure that Xellos will understand him, Zelgadis begins to sign to him. It has been a while since he has used sign language so he uses basic words.

Giving a sigh, Zelgadis lifts his right hand to his mouth and makes a similar motion to 'thank you' only this time he flips his hand halfway down the arc. "(bad) (man) (steal) (me)" Xellos says nothing. Pausing to signifying a new thought, Zelgadis uses both hands in hang lose signs moving down from his shoulders to start his next thought. (now) (me) (deaf) (blind) (mute). Raising three fingers Zelgadis begins to explain the order of events.

"(First: my mouth, ears, and eyes sealed because three monsters) (pause) (Second: attacked outside stupid gang) (Third: found help, nice family)"

"_I see, so how long have you been with this family?"_ Xellos asks.

Zelgadis feels the child and woman return to his side and Zelgadis smiles at them and nods, trying to reassure them that Xellos is a friend. In the back of his mind, Zelgadis is screaming at himself to stop being friendly with Xellos, but the other part is begging for more communication.

Remembering Xellos's question Zelgadis raises his left hand horizontally with a thumb sticking up and uses his right hand to show the number one sliding across his left hand, signifying one week.

"_That's an awful long time, how on earth did you make it Zelly-poo,"_ Xellos says using his pet name, which causes Zelgadis to glare. _"You need to say goodbye to these people, Zelgadis," _Xellos continues happily. With a curt nod Zelgadis rises from his chair and feels the little girl next to him. He hugs her and she hugs him back. In surprise, Zelgadis can feel warm tears hit his shoulder. The girl obviously knows that this is goodbye. Gently releasing the girl latched onto him, he next feels the woman hug him followed by the man hugging him. Apparently the husband came in to the room at some point. Zelgadis assumes that Xellos has explained some of the issues to them.

"_(I'll come back), (repay your kindness someday). (Promise)"_ Zelgadis signs more fluently to them and blindly hopes that Xellos will interpret for him. Making his way for the door, Zelgadis hesitates for a moment, but offers a smile to the people he knows are standing behind him. He manages to make it out into the street and is surprised when Xellos takes his arm to help guide him. Bristling at his cold touch, Zelgadis attempts to get away, but Xellos only grips him harder.

"_Now, now Zelgadis, you are mute, deaf, and blind. I'm sure it's nearly impossible for you to travel freely on your own. You're going to have to trust me,"_ Xellos says happily.

Only then does it hit Zelgadis that he might be making a grave mistake. He has been so thrilled to talk with someone he knows, that he has forgotten who it is. Xellos is a monster, what can the Mazoku ever possibly hope to gain from helping Zelgadis?

"_I suppose now would be a good time to explain to you what's been happening in your absence,"_ Xellos says as his strong grip leads Zelgadis forward. The monster is thoroughly enjoying the fear seeping out of Zelgadis. This fear is different, he usually only receives anger, hate, sadness, annoyance, and frustration out of the young man, but this is different. _"Oh come Zelgadis, no need to be frightened. This experience sure has been rough on you, hasn't it?"_

Zelgadis wants to scream a sarcastic statement at Xellos.

"_Anyway, not much has happened (understatement of the year). Your evil sorcerer friend has been quite active, creating all sorts of havoc, but luckily Seyruun is sending their learned white mages out to cure the chimera. Not only that, but Seyruun has begun to rally up the other countries to act upon this murder outbreak. I wish you could describe this sorcerer to me when you get the chance, I really could use a decent report for my master. We are concerned that this sorcerer is delving into monster secrets that he shouldn't. Do you follow me so far?"_

Zelgadis nods carefully and begins to wonder why Xellos is being so honest with him. Xellos doesn't lie, which mean that the monster has nothing to fear from the mute, deaf, and blind man. A sudden wave of depression hits Zelgadis when he realizes, yet again, how weak he is, quenching his stubborn tendencies. Xellos is free to share secrets with him, because Zelgadis has no way to tell anyone.

"_Well Zelgadis, you're as depressing as ever,"_ Xellos says as he feeds off Zelgadis. _"I'm going to drop you off with Lina and Gourry, I have other things to deal with at present. Of course, I couldn't very well leave you there with those wonderful people. Rumor has it that your sorcerer friend is out looking for you again. Aren't you lucky? You probably don't want to drag them into this."_

Growling in his silent throat, Zelgadis bites back hundreds of sarcastic sayings he wishes to utter at this moment.

"_So what did this sorcerer look like,"_ Xellos asks again.

While walking along Zelgadis proceeds to describe the man to Xellos as best he can with his arm still laced in Xellos's grip. "(Tall man) (weird eyes blue color and dots of gold yellow) (Blue long hair) (dramatic stupid acting skills similar to you)" Zelgadis smiles and laughs at this, hoping that Xellos is amused as well. He continues to describe the appearance of the three Mazoku to Xellos in great detail. In addition Zelgadis includes information about which of the Mazoku removed each of his senses.

"_Well, well, well, you're not bad at signing are you, Zel,"_ Xellos says. _"What did this blue haired sorcerer want?"_

Zelgadis hesitates. Just how much is he willing to tell Xellos? It's bad enough that he is freely giving the monster any information at all. And yet, he just cannot help it. His need for communication has made him quite the jabber mouth. Sighing in defeat Zelgadis explains the sorcerer's intentions as best he can. "(Wants test me) (trial) (prove my worth) (become successor/replacement to Rezo) (Next great Sage)" In anger Zelgadis grips Xellos's arm as he remembers those words.

"_A real great sage wannabe"_ a voice echoes inside his mind: the sorcerer's, _"But alas you aren't quite ready for that miraculous task I am afraid. After all, what is a sage without first experiencing some heart wrenching trial!"_

What did that crazy coot expect of him, to cure himself again? This is easier said than done. Zelgadis knows how to unseal his senses, but he cannot do it without his voice or eyes. He will need to find the items he needs with the help of the Seyruun priests, then someone will need to find the incantation for the spell and say it for him. He will have to do it three times. At least the creepy sorcerer didn't realize that Zelgadis knows how to cure himself already, otherwise he might not have let Zelgadis go so easily.

Zelgadis stops walking, forcing Xellos to stop as well. Unless the sorcerer did find out the truth and that is the reason he's after him again.

"_What's wrong Zelgadis?"_ Xellos asks. _"We are almost out of this town."_

Zelgadis shakes his head, trying to wring out his theoretical thoughts, and starts walking again. (nothing) Zelgadis signs.

"_You know when one says 'nothing' it really means 'something',"_ Xellos says with a mysterious laugh in his words. _"But I won't pry, I'll find out soon enough. Which reminds me, do you know how to cure yourself?"_

Swirling around, Zelgadis hits the monster on the head angrily. How did the stupid Mazoku know what he was thinking about! He must have been reading Zelgadis's thoughts all along! But the monster hasn't. Xellos just knows his human companions very well, even after two years of being out and about. But what are two or three years to a monster?

"_I'll take that as a yes,"_ Xellos says as he pretends to be in pain. _"Well, we are now out of sight from the town, time to get moving."_

Xellos roughly grabs Zelgadis and the world begins to fall away. Zelgadis cannot feel a thing, or smell anything either. _"We have a long way to go,"_ Xellos continues_. "Did you know that the sorcerer dropped you off down in the southern most country of this continent. He really didn't want anyone finding you,"_

All of Zelgadis's remaining senses go numb and he feels slightly sick as Xellos fazes into the astral plain. Amazingly enough, Zelgadis nearly goes blind as a bright light hits his unseeing eyes.

"_Well, isn't that interesting,"_ Xellos comments as Zelgadis struggles to cover his eyes. "_Seems you can see perfectly on the astral plane, very interesting indeed. You probably can talk and hear perfectly in this plane as well I'm guessing. Too bad you're human."_

By the time Zelgadis attempts to opens his eyes the world is pitch black once more as they arrive at their new destination.

"_Wait right here,"_ Xellos says as he sits Zelgadis down in a chair and walks away.

Pouting, Zelgadis stubbornly thinks to himself, _"Like I can go anywhere!"_

Cautiously, Zelgadis begins to feel in front of him, he is at a table and he can smell food not too far away. He also feels the warmth of a small fire nearby, which tells Zelgadis that he is most likely in a tavern somewhere. A slight breeze tickles his right side and Zelgadis wonders if someone is standing there. Hesitatingly, Zelgadis experimentally attempts to heighten his senses using his magic. Over the past week he has been testing this theory little by little when he remembers to.

Rezo used magic to see the world around him, that's why he could sense when Zelgadis threw Lina at him that fateful night long ago. Zelgadis hopes that he can do the same thing.

Using all of his concentration Zelgadis wills his magic to work and is surprised to see (or at least magically sense) a young woman standing next to him. But he can only see her as she moves. Otherwise she is completely invisible. The young woman is nervously switching her weight between her left and right foot. Obviously, she has come to take his order and doesn't realize that he is mute, deaf, and blind. She puts a hand on his shoulder timidly, probably asking a bit louder for his order. Zelgadis can feel her warm breath as she shouts.

Offering a small smile, Zelgadis motions to her that he can't see, hear, or talk. In shock the girl steps back slightly and races away. Needless to say, Zelgadis is slightly disappointed at her reaction. People are running away from him again, just his luck. But the girl returns and takes Zelgadis's hand and puts a skinny plastic like material in his hand. It is a menu.

He opens it up and is thrilled to find that it is in Braille. Carefully Zelgadis rubs his fingers over the words. When he comes across his favorite coffee, Zelgadis points to it and smiles towards the girls. She pats him on the shoulder and hurries away with the menu. Zelgadis can feel a slight happy bounce in her step as she leaves, improving Zelgadis's mood slightly.

While Zelgadis was searching Rezo's labs for a chimera cure, Zelgadis had to learn how to read Braille. Rezo developed many spells in order to read and write in books, but sometimes the old sorcerer preferred using Braille since he found it a challenge. Zelgadis had no choice but to learn how to read the system, if he wanted to know all of Rezo's secrets. Knowing Rezo, he might have done it just to annoy people.

Zelgadis laughs to himself as the girl returns with his favorite cup of coffee; he hasn't had his favorite beverage in over a week, since he couldn't very well tell his rescuers what he wanted. He was lucky to get regular coffee while he was there.

After some time Zelgadis feels the door open and a gloved hand pats him on the shoulder. _"Time to go," _Xellos says happily. Zelgadis nods and tells Xellos to pay $1.20 for the coffee, briefly wondering if the monster will bother paying for his drink.

Once outside, they walk a short distance, before coming to a stop.

"_I told Lina that you are now mute, deaf, and blind,"_ Xellos says to Zelgadis. _"Everything else is a secret. I didn't tell her about the sorcerer who did this to you, the Mazoku, or your chimera case. You'll have to find some way to do that yourself. Goodbye."_ And with that the comforting, evil presence of Xellos vanishes.

**Authors Note:** Hopefully the use of italic and breaks is not confusing. I studied American Sign Language for three semesters in college and the use of the brackets is the best way I can hope to convey 'signing' in this story.


	7. Strong Friends

Chapter 7: Strong Friends

Zelgadis just stands there for a couple of minutes and doesn't really know what to do. Apparently, if Lina is really there, she doesn't know how to react. He sighs and carefully walks forward with his hands outstretched. When his right hand touches something, he recoils slightly but then gently traces his hands up the form's arms and onto their face. The face is smooth, round and heart shaped, with long wild hair. He smiles. It must be Lina Inverse, but just to be sure he reaches down and feels her chest.

Yep, definitely Lina.

Without warning a small, but very strong, hand swings an uppercut under Zelgadis's chin, sending him flying back onto the ground. Visibly appearing to groan, Zelgadis rubs his jaw and tries to sit up. Another form, a larger one, with heavier footfall, emerges at Zelgadis's right side. Zelgadis can only imagine the bickering going on right now between the two companions as Gourry helps Zelgadis to his feet. When he is steadily up again, Zelgadis proceeds to touch Gourry's face as well. Trying to familiarize himself with their new appearance. He takes note of Gourry's new sword and points to it while his other hand remains on Gourry's face. Nodding, the swordsman, affirms to Zelgadis that he finally has a new sword, much to Zelgadis's relief. Zelgadis has little doubt that their travel to Seyruun will be a challenging one.

It will only be a matter of time, before the three monsters come looking for him again. Hopefully this new sword of Gourry's will be up to the challenge.

Lina takes Zelgadis by the hand and guides him to a table and chair, handing Zelgadis a pen and piece of paper. He feels Lina pull up a chair next to him, and patiently wait. Just like Lina to get as many answers as she can from someone.

With a smile Zelgadis begins to tell Lina all that has happened, everything that the trickster priest has probably failed to mention. Zelgadis tells them about the chimera outbreak, his search for the sorcerer, his kidnapping, how he lost his senses, and about his past week living in a black hole. Moreover, Zelgadis tells Lina about his plan to unseal his senses in Seyruun and asks for her and Gourry's assistance.

There is a slight pause as Zelgadis's words sink in. Lina stands from her seat and seems to be shaking, but Zelgadis doesn't know why. She is furious that someone has taken advantage of her friend, but he has no way of knowing this. Lina is furious that she wasn't there and is powerless at the moment to do anything about it. The best she can do is to honor Zelgadis's request and she cannot very well ignore a blind, mute, and deaf man in good conscience.

His request is soon answered with a hearty pound on the back by both of his friends; one slap on each shoulder. Guess that's a yes. Zelgadis wonders if perhaps Lina is going to use this information for her own gain, but he cannot figure out how that is possible. Perhaps he really does have friends that he can trust, even after he has purposefully been avoiding them all these years.

Over the next few days, Zelgadis becomes keenly aware of how slowly they are traveling and as far as he can tell, it isn't his fault.

They are constantly stopping to eat and go treasure hunting.

Apparently, Lina and Gourry are going out of their way to travel to each and every town on their way to Seyruun. While Zelgadis can communicate with Lina sufficiently, using pencil and paper, he has no way to know what Lina may be trying to communicate to him. Every once in a while she will poke him, slap him on the back, or hit him, but he has no idea why she is doing it, which frustrates Zelgadis to no end.

In his irritation, Zelgadis sometimes thinks he can see again, but quickly realizes that his mind is playing tricks on him. It is quite common for a person like him, who has seen all his life, to see things after suddenly going blind.

Lina is frustrated that Zelgadis cannot hear her, making her frustrated with herself; she is powerless to do anything about it.

As Zelgadis travels on this slow journey, he decides to practice more with his magic. He gets a little better at seeing moving objects, but everything else is invisible to him. So it is no surprise when he doesn't see the large rock in front of him until he's actually tripping over it.

Down he goes.

Stumbling to the ground, Zelgadis manages to land on his knees right as a knife flies over his head. Rolling his eyes, Zelgadis muses that it is probably bandits again, until Gourry pushes Zelgadis back down onto the ground again as a flame flies above their heads.

Magic.

Zelgadis can feel Gourry say something and desperately wishes to know what's going on. He can feel the tension in the air. Concentrating with his magic, Zelgadis manages to get a muddled picture of what is happening around him. Not only does he manage to see what is happening in front of him, but behind him as well. Unlike having two eyes, this magical sense can see in every direction, up to a fixed distance. Lina and Gourry are doing a good job, fending off the attackers, but the enemies aren't normal men. Their steps are strange, stiff and unpredictable. They seem familiar.

They are chimera.

A rough hand grabs Zelgadis by the shoulder, but he can tell it is coming. Seizing hold of the chimera's arm, Zelgadis swings the creature onto his back and kicks him in the stomach. Before the creature can get up Zelgadis struggles to his feet and tries to cast a spell, but he is only rewarded with a slight tingling sensation down his spine. With a soundless grunt, Zelgadis reluctantly races to Lina's side. A quick icy breath explodes from her hand and envelops the fallen chimera before it can rise to its feet and capture Zelgadis. In no time at all the battle is over and Gourry grabs Zelgadis's arm as the group runs away from the battle scene.

Feebly, Zelgadis tries to keep his magic sense alert, but it is exhausting. As his magic world fades from his senses Zelgadis actually sees something out of the corner of his blind eye. Zelgadis trips and falls to the ground forcing Gourry to let go. Quickly, Zelgadis looks behind him and surprisingly sees something, but it isn't something he wants to see. It is the monster Klide, twitching in a long black robe that is much too big for him.

Gourry grabs Zelgadis again and they begin to run; only this time Zelgadis is running with a bit more fervor in his step.

Zelgadis doesn't notice when he passes out, because his world is already dark and numb.

He dreams that he is still running, only this time every moment he spends looking behind him is a shock. For some reason he can see the crazy sorcerer and twitching monster behind him, getting closer and closer. Gourry's hand disappears from his touch. Grabbing at thin air, Zelgadis searches for a guide. Now he wishes that he got a walking stick in the last town.

Zelgadis still doesn't realize that he is dreaming.

Without Gourry leading him, Zelgadis begins to panic. He keeps running, with battering thoughts of how weak he has become crowding inside him. His stubborn nature turns into a bitter enemy as it agrees with his weakness. As he runs, Zelgadis hears Lina scream followed closely by Gourry screaming, only to be choked out in silence.

Quickly stopping, Zelgadis desperately looks around him, but only sees the ever smiling sorcerer and monster steadily coming closer. He can't stand it, being this feeble; he wants to fight, he wants to be stronger. He doesn't want to lead Lina to her death. Lina should lead herself to her own demise. It shouldn't be his fault. He wants to protect her, not kill her. But it doesn't matter how strong you become, you will always be missing something. That is what he learned after surviving his last curse.

Zelgadis lets out a silent scream as he charges at his foe. He is through with running. As he collides with the two men, he sends a wave of pure magic into the dream surrounding him, making his enemies vanish.

But his enemy is right beside him.

With relief Zelgadis welcomes the world of nothing which surrounds him once again, but is startled when a hand violently grabs him by the chest, ripping into his flesh. Blindly, Zelgadis grabs the slender wrists of the invisible foe. "You will succeed where Rezo failed," he hears the maniacal sorcerer say with a laugh.

Zelgadis roughly grabs the invisible figure in front of him by the arms and throws him off. But his arms are not his own. They are twitching and cloaked in black. In a panic he blindly begins to attack his foes.

But now Zelgadis is awake.

In a blind fury, Zelgadis stumbles around as large arms try to restrain him from behind. Quickly, Zelgadis shoves the figure backwards while pushing his arms down in one smooth motion, breaking the larger forms grip. Twirling around, Zelgadis yanks one of the man's arms down while sending his knee into the poor soul's gut.

As Zelgadis turns around preparing a wide kick to send his enemy all the way down to the ground, a strong, small hand slaps Zelgadis across the face. Zelgadis staggers back and reaches his hands forward in confusion. One of his hands is taken and put to the assailant's face.

Lina.

This means he probably just hit Gourry, really hard. Slumping to his knees, Zelgadis lowers his head in humiliation. For some reason he wants to cry, but he doesn't. So it is just a dream he has awakened from, probably an attack from the Mazoku chasing him. Gourry's hand holds Zelgadis by the shoulder and Zelgadis offers him a sheepish grin as an apology.

Next thing he knows, Lina is handing him a pen and paper. Obviously, she wants an explanation. In frustration and humiliation Zelgadis describes the dream for her. If only he could know how long he has been out and how close they are to reaching Seyruun. Apparently, they are at an inn. The floor is made of wood and the air is slightly stuffy, smelling like a cross between soap cleanser and beer.

As they continue to travel, Zelgadis begins to have nightmares more frequently, either he wakes up and doesn't realize it or Lina has to slap him. Both outcomes are unpleasant for him. In one town Lina gives Zelgadis a walking stick, which is made of wood, much to Zelgadis's relief. The last thing he wants is a staff like Rezo's and Lina is well aware of this fact. The whole reason this nonsense started is because of his apparent similarities to his great-grandfather. And he isn't even doing it on purpose. But Zelgadis is sure of one thing, he will never put his cure above other's lives and sacrifice them needlessly. He may demand money, but he isn't going to sell anyone out.

Eventually, after a week's time, with many nightmares and countless more chimera attacks, they reach Seyruun. In all it has been nearly five weeks since he was last here. Zelgadis can tell by the smell that they have finally reached his desired refuge. Once they are safely within the city's gates, Zelgadis's stiff stance relaxes and he breathes a little easier. As they walk through the streets, he feels a few figures come up and take his hand, either they are saying hello or apologizing for something. He isn't really sure which it is.

Trying to hide a tinge of red embarrassment, threatening to appear on his face, Zelgadis offers a small smile and curt nod to anyone who approaches. He must look so stupid to them with all this nodding and smiling. It drives Zelgadis crazy.

When the people stop coming to take his hand, Zelgadis assumes that they have made it to the palace. Gourry lets go of Zelgadis's arm, leaving him in a sea of nothing once more. He hates this feeling, but in some ways he finds it comforting. It's quiet. He does like that part at the moment, especially after all the random people taking his hands.

Two small hands grab Zelgadis's hands, forcing Zelgadis to drop his staff.

"(hello, how are you)" the figure signs with their arms swinging together in unison.

Zelgadis beams, for once offering the person a genuine smile. Releasing one of the newcomer's hands, Zelgadis reaches forward and touches their face. Large lips and eyes, short soft hair, and a nose that slightly turns up.

Amelia.

Suddenly, Amelia grabs Zelgadis and pulls him into a suffocating embrace. He can feel her slightly shaking as she forces back her need to cry. Apparently, she has been worried about him since his disappearance. Biting his lower lip, Zelgadis begins to feel an ache of shame for coming back like this. He also doesn't like being hugged, but he feels guilty for thinking such a thought, after all Amelia is actually succeeding in communicating with him in some small way.

After she calms down Zelgadis takes her hands once more and she asks. "(What Happened?)"

"(Lina/Red head) (Will tell you)," Zelgadis says.

"(Yes/alright)" Amelia signs back.

Before long the group of reunited slayers ends up in Zelgadis's office, looking for the antidote for curing his new curse. It is the same method by which Lina attempted to unseal her magic during the monster trouble in Seyruun many years ago. Since then, Zelgadis has found the old secret with help from Kira and recorded it down in a notebook. Unfortunately, said notebook is missing.

Frustration begins to boil through Zelgadis as they search. It is not like he has misplaced the book: his office is efficient and neat for the most part, and he couldn't have lost it. Zelgadis quickly raises his hands up and down with exaggerated facial expressions as he describes exactly where the notebook is supposed to be. He hopes that Amelia can understand him; the mage isn't quite sure how much Amelia knows of the language.

Eventually, he feels Lina pound him on the head and hands him a sheet of paper with a pencil. With an inaudible grunt, Zelgadis swipes the pen and paper and explains where the notebook is. With his explanation complete, Zelgadis sits in his chair and moodily contemplates his bad luck.

After some time, Amelia takes Zelgadis's hands hesitantly and begins to attempt a conversation with Zelgadis. "(Book) (not) (on top) (shelf)," Amelia says.

"(Take me)" Zelgadis asks with one swift gesture as he tries to contain his frustration.

Amelia calmly takes his hand and guides him to the shelf. He feels along the books spines and applies his magic in an attempt to read their titles. To his dismay, his desired note book is missing. Someone must have taken it, Zelgadis thinks in anger.

Trying to not let his anger show, Zelgadis asks for a pen and paper so he can tell them how to break the seal. While it is disturbing that someone has stolen his notebook, he isn't dependent on it. He has the spell memorized and so he writes down what needs to be done.

As the group of young sorcerer's who work under Zelgadis gather the ingredients, Lina and Amelia practice the incantation. Amelia is constantly asking Zelgadis questions about the process, which Zelgadis happily answers.

He tells her that the spell will need to be cast three times. Once for each sense he has lost. Unlike unsealing magic, the spell requires an equal exchange of energy to overpower the original curse. It might take a couple of days and meals to unseal each part. After much thought, Zelgadis tells Amelia that he wants his hearing back first. Part of him wants his sight back initially, but logically speaking, hearing is what he needs the most. While he has been able to communicate with them just fine, they cannot communicate with him very well. One sided conversations are getting old and even when Lina writes something for him to read, he doesn't have the magic ability to read it all. The best he can do in order to read is try to feel the indentation of the letters on a page, which is extremely difficult to understand, if not entirely impossible. Maybe if he spends more time practicing his new found magic abilities he will be better off.

But Zelgadis is starting to fall back into his rut.

A rut to find a cure.

And that is not the test he is meant to be faced with.

The enemy had not expected Zelgadis to already know how to cure himself originally, so the evil man is forced to start chasing after Zelgadis. But obviously, chasing Zelgadis down and stealing his book isn't good enough. At dinner, the sorcerer makes his next move.

_AN: The slashed out words are there for the reader to get a clearer understanding of the context and what is being said. In sign language these words are not necessary to convey information so I slashed them out. I haven't needed to use it thus far but I will be implementing it from now on for Zelgadis since he signs differently when compared to Amelia. That and Zelgadis has gotten a little better at it over the last few weeks._


	8. Counter Attack

Chapter 8: Counter Attack

As the slayers enjoy their meal, Zelgadis is left alone to his unsettling thoughts once more. He is trying to enjoy the salted veggies and cheese steak, but it tastes stale. What he wouldn't give to converse or at least hear what the companions around him are saying. Even though he is surrounded, he is quite alone, in a way Zelgadis never thought he would be. He has no desire for peace and quiet at the moment.

But that doesn't mean he is alone. Now more than ever he can see his friends better than he ever has before. They want to help him; he just has to let them.

During the meal, Zelgadis's ears and mouth begin to slightly burn. At first, Zelgadis assumes that the sensation is caused from the spices in the meat he is eating, but this theory is trumped when his mouth begins to move on its own. The air in his lungs pushes out as his tongue begins to move contrary to his will. Zelgadis begins to choke at this new sensation and is alarmed when he feels his tongue flick the edges of his teeth.

Instead of having normal human teeth, they are sharp and jagged.

A searing flash of red hits Zelgadis's head as he attempts to hold back his panic attack. He hates being used against his will. It brings back too many memories, so many awful memories.

"(What is happening) (What is going on) (Tell me now!)" Zelgadis signs furiously to Amelia. Hesitantly, Zelgadis touches his ears and is appalled to find that they are not his own. He is about to cover his ears, but is stopped as Amelia takes his hands.

"(Monster) (Name C-h-e-z-e-m) (Talking)" Amelia says. Her hands hesitate as she attempts to figure out a way to explain to Zelgadis what is happening, while it is happening. "(Bad) (Monster) (Doesn't) (want) (me/us) (help) (you) (heal) - - - (unsure) (monster) (tell us) (a-b-o-u-t) (test) (can't) (c-h-e-a-t)" Amelia spells out the words she doesn't know in an attempt to communicated clearly with Zelgadis.

Amelia lets go of his hands abruptly as something comes out of Zelgadis's mouth. Apparently the monster who is speaking through Zelgadis, doesn't like what Amelia is doing. Zelgadis clenches the table beneath him as he tries to calm down. He wants to try and use his magic sense to get an idea of what is happening around him. Wistfully wishing for more time to practice this new technique, Zelgadis attempts to get out of his dark hole. Through the vibrating table he is clutching, Zelgadis can feel someone pound their first down onto the wooden slab.

Lina is letting out all her frustration from the past week.

In a non-visible haze, Zelgadis can feel Lina's warm breath as she screams at the monster. Every once in a while, Amelia moves and gestures in a way that Zelgadis assumes is an attempt at a justice speech. Zelgadis cannot sense Gourry until the warrior reaches for his sword. Apparently, Chezem is giving his friends an ear load. He cannot stand that this monster is verbally abusing his friend and using 'his' mouth to do it.

Zelgadis has had enough.

While the monsters may have control over his ears, mouth, and eyes, they do not have control over his lungs and motor skill. It takes Zelgadis a lot of concentration to fight against the need to take a breath in time with the monsters words. He holds his breath with his lungs, shuts his eyes and ears while racing out of his chair. Zelgadis isn't sure if the monsters are using his eyes at the moment, but he isn't willing to take that chance. In his haste Zelgadis fails to retrieve his walking stick so he lurches forward. Stumbling around the chairs and table, Zelgadis shoves into a wall. Using the vibrations, he applies his magic to locate the slightly ajar doors at the end of the room and races out into the hall.

As he runs, Zelgadis easily avoids any servants or mages that happen to be moving, but it doesn't take long until he trips over a wayward empty box. Crashing to the ground, Zelgadis is forced to take a breath and gasp for air.

While lying on the ground, Zelgadis's mouth stops moving and the burning sensation, which he has almost forgotten about, disappears. The battle is over for now.

Zelgadis is determined not to be daunted by this threat, but he knows better than to ignore it. His friends quickly race to his side and help him to his feet. Amelia applies a healing spell to his bruises and they lead him to his room.

"(Don't) (worry) (we) (think) (Something)" Amelia says as she leaves the room. Apparently his friends are going to have a meeting about what has just happened. Zelgadis wants them to tell him what Chezem has said, but there isn't a clear way for them to do this right now.

With an exasperated sigh, Zelgadis falls back onto his bed, barley missing the head board, and attempts to sort through his options.

His enemy wants to test him, but if Zelgadis cures himself, then the game is over. Well, if he doesn't cure himself, what then? Isn't that the point? Either way, it doesn't matter to Zelgadis. He isn't going to let that evil mad man dictate his actions and even if he cannot cure himself, he certainly will not let this curse control him.

Or hurt those closest to him.

Clutching the covers beneath him, Zelgadis screams at his inner demons. So what, if he doesn't get cured. At least he can feel. He can feel more than he ever did as a chimera. Back then he had enhanced eyesight and hearing, but he couldn't feel well through his stone skin. The world seemed dead around him. Now he has no choice but to depend on others and feel the world in a whole new light. And in some strange way, no matter what his complaints may be, it is enough.

Being weak can teach you many things about being strong.

A turning point has begun and Zelgadis is determined to not repeat the same mistakes twice. Now he must fight against something new, against a mad man's want to control him and against his own stubborn tendencies.

But controlling Zelgadis is not enough for this mad man, as Zelgadis will soon find out.

The next day, Amelia and Lina get ready for Zelgadis's remedy, while Zelgadis patiently waits. Unlike the other day, Zelgadis attempts to control his anxiety and not lash out at his friends. As he waits, Zelgadis practices with his magic, trying to read a book. He is met with failure, though. Rezo made it look easy. Of course, it helps that Rezo could actually chant out a spell. Zelgadis doesn't have that luxury.

Sniffing the air, Zelgadis can smell the distinct putrid smell of the magic potion that is required for the spell. As he tries to take in his surroundings, the young mage searches for the movement of his friends. He feels the shape of Amelia about to walk by him. As she passes he reaches out for her. He wants to know their progress.

Stiffly, Amelia tells him that everything is coming along alright. They just need to practice the spell a few more times. Even though he is blind, Zelgadis still notices how sharp Amelia's reply is. After fighting himself last night, Zelgadis doesn't let this slide. Instead of letting go of her hands, Zelgadis asks how 'she' is doing.

Her reply is "(Fine)"

Whenever someone says that they are fine, (especially in sign language) it is not enough. 'Fine' doesn't cut it and Zelgadis knows better. His eyebrows furrow slightly as he holds her hands, trying to think of what is bothering her.

"(What is wrong?)" Zelgadis asks.

"(Nothing)" Amelia says.

Now Zelgadis is getting frustrated, but he doesn't let it get the best of him.

"(Don't lie)!" Zelgadis says, with a strong facial expression of concern. "(Yesterday the monster said something, is that it (Well)?)"

"(yes)-(No)-(Maybe)(Don't know)" Amelia says in a choppy explanation. After a sigh and when Zelgadis refuses to let go of her hands, she starts again. "(I) (Help you) (now) - (What about later?)- (You leave) (again) (again) (again) (You) (don't) (care). (yes?) (no?) (I) (don't know)!"

Zelgadis doesn't know what to say. Amelia is upset about being left again and all those times in the past. Obviously, she has been noticing Zelgadis's desire to travel constantly. She is determined to help him through anything, even now, but she is getting tired of Zelgadis's constant absence. Does he even care about what she feels? She wants to know. While Zelgadis is ready for this new stage in his journey, it doesn't mean his friends are on the same page with him. He hasn't even considered Amelia's perspective. Sure, he is concerned about endangering his friends, but not this. He wants to protect them, not hurt them, but here he is doing it again.

Apparently, Zelgadis thinks, he has been blind longer than he thought. Maybe this is the reason Lina has been hitting him so often this past week.

"(Sorry)" Zelgadis says slowly, emphasizing his distress with his face. Amelia has probably never seen him so expressive, not since he became this way at least. Part of communication in sign language is your face. It is another tool. "(Please, tell me more.)"

"(S-e-y-r-u-u-n/home) (separate thought) (different) (countries) (want) (war) - (fear) (blinding) - (blame) (others) (*pointing fingers*) - (I) (think?) (evil) (Magic Man/sorcerer) (r-e-s-p-o-n-s-i-b-l-e). (Same) (person) (Talk) (last night)."

"(Why do you think so?)" Zelgadis asks.

"(I) (don't know) (how) (explain) - (death) (c-h-i-m-e-r-a) (o-u-t-b-r-e-a-k) (countries) (blame) (Seyruun) . . . (for) (helping) (chimera)." Amelia says. She stops when Zelgadis's face shows his dread. He didn't even consider that at the time. People blame the chimeras for all the murders and Seyruun has just taken in the chimera refuges because of Zelgadis.

"(NOT) (YOUR) (FAULT), (chimera) (need) (help) (you) (did) (good)" Amelia tries to reassure Zelgadis, as he begins to blame himself for Seyruun's threat of war, so much for protecting them. "(Already) (began) (only) (m-a-t-t-e-r o-f t-i-m-e)" Amelia says. With a thrust of her hands she tries to hold back her frustration for not being able to communicate the situation clearly with her limited knowledge of sign language. Her actions come across well enough to Zelgadis though. He can tell that she didn't mean to mention her countries turmoil to him. What she really wants to talk about is what she personally wants of him.

Zelgadis tries to smile up at her. "(You are my friend, my family. I must help you now, in any way I can (help now))."

"(good/Thank you)" Amelia says settling on a simple word of gratitude.

"(You are my only family, but I am _unsure_ I can give you everything)" Zelgadis says as he thinks back to Amelia's brush with her feeling towards him. It all comes down to this. The thing he has been avoiding, obviously his actions have hurt her and he didn't care. Zelgadis is bluntly aware of Amelia's crush, but he has been disregarding it for too long.

Amelia doesn't respond to his last statement, and he hopes that she doesn't hate him for it. Gently, a small hand takes hold of Zelgadis's shoulder. Lina gives him an encouraging pat and Zelgadis wonders if she has been there the entire time. Handing Zelgadis a putrid smelling broth, Zelgadis takes a swig, nearly choking on the foal tasting-liquid. Amelia hesitantly takes hold of his hands again, trying not to be distracted. The girls begin the incantation for his ears.

Their magic flows through him and a slight tingling sensation begins to tickle his ears. The tickle transforms into excruciating pain, however, as the spell comes into conflict with the Mazoku responsible.

Screams that do not belong to him explode inside his mind. Without thinking Zelgadis attempts to cover his ears, but Amelia doesn't let go, she is fighting against his urge to stop a sound that is not there. Just when it cannot get any worse he hears a voice that makes him feel sick.

"Oh dear, oh dear, it seems they didn't heed my warning." The sorcerer says into his screaming monster servant's ear and thus to Zelgadis. "Poor Ditle, he's in a lot of pain. So you thought those little white magic spells would work, eh? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, little mage, but I've been able to counter it thanks to your little notebook here. It gives me such joy reading your tidy and detailed notes, Zel. Hmm Hmm hmm." Zelgadis can almost picture the mad man spinning around in a dance as he talks. It's disgusting to think that after weeks of being deaf that the first _human_ voice he hears is this madman's! "You really are something Zel-Zel. Ooo, I like that nick name: Zel-Zel. So cute. Tah- tah Zel-Zel . . . see you **really** soon."

As the voice disappears the pain begins to subside as well, leaving a numb ache ebbing between his ears and head. Shutting his eyes, Zelgadis tries to hold back his pain.

Amelia begins to shake his hands as Lina jostles him by the shoulders. Apparently, they are saying something and expecting him to hear them.

With wobbly hands and arms Zelgadis gives a simple explanation. "(I) (can't) (hear) (you)"

The shaking stops abruptly.

"(NO) (no) (Can't) (b-e)" Amelia says with her hands meaning every word. As Amelia begins to gesture wildly with her hands, Zelgadis assumes that she is reciting a justice speech of some sort, but her actions make no sense to him. She has forgotten about her unease towards him completely at this point and her righteous fury is boiling.

Her speech is cut short as the room begins to shake around them and Zelgadis's inner ear gives a slight pop of pain as the pressure in the room changes. Amelia immediately relinquishes Zelgadis's hands in order to cover her ears.

Zelgadis's mouth goes dry and he can distinctly smell smoke as a fire starts somewhere in the palace. Through his magic, he can tell that Lina and Gourry are leaving the room with sword and magic at the ready. Amelia takes his hands and tells him to stay put, before racing after her friends.

Like he's going to stay put? He is not going to leave his friends with his mess, not after he promised Amelia that he would help.

Zelgadis cautiously rises from his chair and reaches for the walking stick Lina gave him. The stick has rolled a little bit from where he originally set it, but Zelgadis finds the wooden companion with little difficulty. Zelgadis pounds the stick into the ground using a magic amplification to mentally visualize the room. He isn't exactly sure why this magic is working, but he doesn't have time to think about it at the moment. Carefully racing from the room, Zelgadis makes his way into the hall and tries to find his friends.

In hind sight, Zelgadis realizes that he should have stayed in the room, as he senses a monster presence somewhere close by. Well, there is always the chance that the monster will find him anyway, even if he stayed, but Zelgadis doesn't have time to think over other possibilities.

Gathering all his strength, Zelgadis tries to shoot an Elmekia Lance spell in the direction of the monster. He cannot see his spell's effect, but his attack is little more than flashes of light carrots. Very similar to when Sylphiel tried doing a flare arrow in her younger years. Since Zelgadis cannot hear, he has no way to experience the monster's cruel laugh at the pathetic spell. But in actuality, Zelgadis should be thrilled that he is able to produce a spell of any caliber. Not that it will matter much if he is killed.

Before the monster has the chance to capture or kill Zelgadis, another more terrifying presence of comfort enters the room.

_Authors Note: It just isn't going to be easy for Zelgadis. There were two places I could have easily changed Zelgadis's fate in this chapter and he could be cured, but that would be too simple. _


	9. New Light

New Light

Chapter 9

"_My, my, left all alone now were you?"_ Xellos says as Zelgadis tries not to flinch at the sudden intrusion into his mind. After a sudden blast of wind and heat, Zelgadis assumes that the threatening monster is meeting its maker.

"_You can't stay here Zelgadis,"_ Xellos says as he grabs the young mages shoulder.

Zelgadis bites back a sarcastic quip and asks a simple question. "(Why do you care?)"

"_Oh look, your signing has improved, but why ask such a needless question? Of course I care about what happens to my human companions. Especially when it means the life or death of the Mazoku race,"_ Xellos says.

Zelgadis tries to give Xellos the most sarcastic grimace he can muster, but he is cut short when his ears and eyes begin to burn. Shutting his eyes and closing his ear, Zelgadis tries to warn Xellos that the enemy might be listening.

"_Hmm, seems like this evil sorcerer is quite the shameful fellow isn't he,"_ Xellos says in a tone that suggests a happy revelation.

"(You are one to talk, He you same)" Zelgadis says unable to resist the snarky comment at the expense of uncovering his ear. Quickly, he regrets his hasty remark and covers his foreign ears once more.

Xellos laughs, "_While I agree that keeping your eyes closed is wise, covering your ears is pointless. After all, I am speaking in your mind; they can't very well hear me."_

If Zelgadis could give an audible grunt he would, but he sheepishly removes his hands from his ears instead.

"_Well I think we should bring you someplace safer, this is no place for a man such as yourself."_ Xellos says as he takes Zelgadis by the arm.

"(I can't (won't) leave my friends)" Zelgadis says sharply with his hands.

"_Well you can't very well help them as you are now, they can handle things fine without you. But I do have an idea. Why don't you practice some of those magic skills you seem to have recently acquired, hmm? Unless, of course, you want to succumb to defeat, having failed to find yet another cure for yourself? Submit and be forever plagued by the same blindness that drove your great grandfather to insanity and into an alliance with dear old Ruby Eyes."_

"(I will not grow into a monster like my grandfather! And how do you know that I have been (before) practicing my magic?)" Zelgadis says angrily. His hands flail rigidly almost forcing Xellos to let go of Zelgadis. The mage isn't even sure why the cookie is holding him, but he figures it's for a reason. There had better be a reason.

"_Well I've been keeping an eye on Lina for a while and I happened to notice your little Elmekia Lance attempt. As for becoming like your grandfather, well, if I remember your story correctly, isn't that what this evil man wants?"_ Xellos asks. _"He doesn't want you becoming like your old man, but he obviously wants to destroy the universe. Actually, I hear that he even plans on destroying the creator herself. How interesting."_

"(Who told you?)" Zelgadis asks.

"_You were there too Zelgadis,"_ Xellos says with a disturbing hint of mystery slinking into his cheery tone. _"You mentioned it with your very own mouth last night. Our foe has promised to destroy our very mother, by using you, your friends and the monster race's best guarded secrets."_

"(That doesn't make sense (work)! Why would I destroy the universe, Rezo (repeat) might of, but not me.)" Zelgadis says, he is speaking from his heart and it shows. The man has nothing to hide anymore.

"_Perhaps he didn't expect you to find a cure for yourself and wanted you to fall into despair. Forcing you to lose all contact with the few people who actually care about you and making your life a living hell," _Xellos says._ "How about that for an explanation?"_

"(You (really) think so?)" Zelgadis asks.

"_I'm not sure,"_ Xellos says happily. _"Do you know how a deranged mad man thinks?"_

"(If anyone could guess, it would be you. You're crazy mad man, you know how he thinks)" Zelgadis says in mild humor. "(But I don't harbor a fragment of the dark lord. Also, my magic is not impressive.)"

"_Hmmm, Well I guess that just leaves one explanation,"_ Xellos says.

"(And that would be/What)" Zelgadis regrettable asks.

"_That he really is crazy"_ Xellos says through unseen grinning lips. _"I find that the most troublesome humans are the ones that have little intellect and mounds of power. Quite a headache really, don't you think?"_

Zelgadis doesn't feel the need to respond.

"_Well, I'm going to take you somewhere this imbecile will never find you. I recommend you find a way to break the control the monsters have over your senses very soon."_

"(Amelia, Lina, and Gourry . . .)" Zelgadis starts to sign.

"_I'll tell them what's going on,"_ Xellos says.

"(Really?)" Zelgadis asks.

"_You don't have a choice in this matter Zelgadis. You never really did."_ Xellos says, words dripping with a dark undertone of friendliness.

Through his closed eye lids, Zelgadis can see light through the membrane of his eyes as Xellos transports them to the astral plain. Again he is surprised that his senses seem to return to normal while on the astral plain. He wonders why this is and decides to investigate, when Xellos isn't dragging him across the world.

"_Before I drop you off I need you to do something about your senses, I can't have you accidentally putting yourself in danger,"_ Xellos says still inside Zelgadis's mind.

"Hmft, that's simple," Zelgadis says in a near croak through his mouth. He tries to hold back his joy for being able to talk once more, but it is difficult to do. It's amazing to hear his voice again, his own voice.

"_Any more joy Zelgadis and I might have to drop you into oblivion,"_ Xellos says in a warning tone. So that's why he's holding him.

"Right," Zelgadis says. "As I was saying, the solution is simple. All we have to do is have you (a monster) seal my senses again. That way neither the monster nor I will be able to hear, see, or speak."

"_Well aren't you clever," _Xellos says. _"But what makes you think I will give back your senses when all of this is over?"_

Zelgadis grunts and dares to open his eyes to glare at the priest. But his eyes burn, so he quickly closes them again, in spite of himself. "I don't have any choice, but to trust you."

Xellos doesn't say anything, but Zelgadis can sense the monsters shock at accepting his fate. Zelgadis's magic sense is improving in remarkable ways.

When Xellos fails to respond, Zelgadis continues. "I suppose I could try perform the task myself, but then we run the risk of 'our' enemy breaking through my weak spells."

A cold gloved hand grips Zelgadis's head and the mage feels a burning freeze envelope his senses.

"I will not give up," Zelgadis says. "I will not fall into despair; I've come too far to go back to that kind of life."

With that said, Xellos quickly warps them to their destination. When the world goes dark once more, Zelgadis figures that they have reached the other side.

Feeling a moment of weightlessness, Zelgadis realizes that he is floating, with Xellos keeping him in place. Zelgadis's blind eyes fly open in search of the monster, but he is only rewarded with the rush of gravity forcing him down. Luckily, he falls on his back, but he happens to land on what he assumes is someone's table.

Zelgadis's stick whacks him in the face as it falls on top of him. Frantically, Zelgadis grabs his helper (the stick), and staggers to his feet. Through his magic gaze Zelgadis see's plates and glasses scatter from underneath him.

In front of him, he sees a female form (with a very large magic capacity) in a fit of rage, but she isn't facing Zelgadis. She is pointing and screaming at something above him to his right.

Zelgadis figures that it is Xellos she is screaming at.

Glancing around the table, Zelgadis notices two beastmen and a young boy with a very large magic pool as well. The two beastmen are moving to the woman's side, apparently trying to calm her down. Meanwhile, the little boy is jumping up and down with excitement at the sudden interruption to his meal.

Not even turning his head, Zelgadis 'sees' Xellos's large astral presence and slams his walking stick hard into what he assumes is the monster's gut.

Needless to say, Xellos isn't expecting such a move, so he falls to the ground in a fit of uncontrollable giggles. Reading the monster's astral presence, Zelgadis can see and almost hear the monster laugh while trying to explain himself to the woman. Well, Zelgadis has figured out one small matter concerning his magic sense, it obviously has something to do with astral magic.

Zelgadis also realizes by this time that he is interrupting Filia, Jillas, Gravos, and young Val's once quiet dinner.

Carefully, Zelgadis manages to safely traverse to the ground on the left side of the table, away from where Xellos now lies laughing on the floor. Reaching out in front of him, Zelgadis locates a vacated seat and considers sitting in it. But he is also curious about using his magic to see and hear the world around him. He hasn't stretched his abilities like this ever before and he is curious with the results. His magic pool isn't feeling the strain as he taps into a source he has long forgotten about. He doesn't even realize what he is tapping into at this moment.

Making his decision, Zelgadis begins to carefully travel around the room, using his magic to get an idea of his surroundings.

This magic vision doesn't work like eyes do. Instead of seeing walls and doors, Zelgadis sees the entire house, including the adjacent mace/vase shop and grounds surrounding the area. Unlike before, he can now see things that aren't moving and he can see further. As he tries to interpret the information reaching his mind, Zelgadis stumbles into a wall.

After rubbing his nose in slight pain, Zelgadis ignores how stupid he probably looks and continues his exploration of Filia's home. He is through with tormenting himself over how silly he looks, it is pointless.

Eventually, he notices Filia standing behind him and turns to give her his full attention. Coming up with an idea, Zelgadis uses his magic to try to communicate with Filia. He tries to say, "Sorry for landing on your table." But she doesn't react in the way he expects.

She turns towards the form of Xellos and confirms something from him. After she is satisfied, Filia turns back towards Zelgadis. Hesitantly, Zelgadis raises his hands and touches her face, using his magic to probe her as well. Her features come into full focus in his imagination as his mind interprets what he feels with his magic.

"_You have no choice but to trust me Zelgadis,"_ Xellos says in Zelgadis's mind. _"So I will leave you with someone I unfortunately trust."_

And with that, the monster's presence zips across the astral plain, far away from Zelgadis's new senses. Zelgadis is surprised that Xellos's form doesn't just simply vanish, but he can actually watch the form of a dark spiral spinning off away from them.

"_I guess the Namagomi wasn't lying to me."_ Filia says to Zelgadis in his mind, while he gently removes his hands from her face. _"You are really trying hard to use your understanding of astral magic to see aren't you? I knew you were an expert in shamanistic magic, but this is quite a feat. Try not to over work yourself though; I've never known a human to perfect such spells. It's dangerous."_ She pauses, letting her words sink in before changing the topic abruptly.

Zelgadis can sense Filia's slight unease. She is still frazzled about having someone dropped on her table in the middle of her meal and Zelgadis is trying harder to observe others sentiments. _"Please, join us for dinner won't you Zelgadis?"_ Filia says in his mind.

Zelgadis nods, as Gravos brings him another chair, setting him next to a lively Val.

As they eat their meal, Val starts to eventually get curious about his new companion with the light bluish purple hair. The little one starts to poke Zelgadis's soft pale skin, when Filia isn't looking. Zelgadis figures it has been about five years since the little Val hatched from his egg, but he has no idea how old that would make the young dragon. He knows that dragons grow and mature at a different rate than human children. He desperately hopes that the ancient dragon is old enough to take a hint, as Zelgadis gives the child a slight glare after the tenth poke.

Filia prepares a place for Zelgadis to sleep. She sets him up on a cot in the family room, telling him to rest easy and relax.

He finds this difficult to do, considering the fact that he has left Amelia, Lina, Gourry, and all of Seyruun behind to face the armies of numerous fearful and crazy countries who don't know what they are doing. Not to mention the possible monsters sent from the new curse of his life. In the end, Zelgadis realizes that he cannot blame himself entirely for all of this. One cannot be held responsible for the deeds of a deranged lunatic, but Zelgadis still wants to do something.

After a fairly good night's rest and enjoying a hearty breakfast, Filia demands that Zelgadis tells her exactly what is going on. She wants to know what the monsters are up to and she wants to stop them if at all possible. Zelgadis wonders briefly, if Filia will turn him out of her home if she deems his involvement in this current war to be a Mazoku plot.

Zelgadis desperately wants to avoid writing out his story again. There must be a better way to communicate to the eager dragon priestess. Slumping his head onto the table, Zelgadis tries to figure out a way to avoid the slow and tedious process of writing since Filia doesn't understand sign language.

Filia is slightly put out by Zelgadis's blunt refusal and is about to resort to mental shouting when Zelgadis get's an idea.

There is a shamanistic spell that allows two people to communicate through the astral plane. It requires both people to cast the spell for it to work though.

Grabbing the piece of paper and pencil from Filia, he asks her to cast a Vision spell with a variant of a Tansaku spell. He writes the words of the spell for her, in case she doesn't know it already.

Filia hesitates, but her need to know the whole story outweighs her discomfort with the spell.

The spell works perfectly.

In Filia's mind, Zelgadis begins to show her and tell her all he knows. No one has seen what he last saw the moment he lost his sight. Part of him is appalled that he is laying everything open for her, but the other part of him is ecstatic that the spell is working. The once silent and moody chimera is a bundle of excitement and babble again. He has found another way to communicate with the world, which is enough to make him thankful once again. After the last two and a half weeks, he has learned to open up a little more. Zelgadis has come a long way when it comes to interacting with people, because of his current adventure.

It is funny how becoming dead to the world strengthens his desire to become a part of it.

When he finishes his explanation it is time for lunch, but Filia doesn't feel up to making anything. Zelgadis has successful flabbergasted her.

Not only is his current turmoil overwhelming, but the fact that Zelgadis is easily able to master such a complicated spell in order to show her these things baffles her. _"Mister Zelgadis, I thought you were completely human now."_

Zelgadis is caught off guard by her question. _"Well, when I made this new body I did make most of it human, but I did transfer some of the sight and hearing capabilities of my old form into this one. That is the reason my ears are slightly pointed. I didn't think it was that noticeable with my hair covering them so it doesn't bother me and people don't stare."_

"_But Zelgadis, how are you able to cast a powerful astral spell like that?"_ Filia says. _"Were you a powerful sorcerer before you turned into a chimera?"_

"_Well, no I wasn't,"_ Zelgadis admits. _"I could manage a few minor spell, but I couldn't even cast a decent flare arrow at the time."_

"_Perhaps I am missing something Mister Zelgadis,"_ Filia continues. _"But when you re-create a new body, are you able to re-create a large magic pool?"_

Zelgadis doesn't answer right way_. "No, you can't."_ He finally says. _"As far as my knowledge reaches, it is impossible to artificially give someone a large magic pool. Eris, an old colleague of my Great-Grandfather's, was able to give a copy body a large magic capacity. But the copy was unstable because of it and incapable of recovering his magic like a normal human being. The clones Lina and Gourry made all those years ago would be magically unstable too, even if they had completed the process correctly. As far as my research shows, someone's magic is attached to their astral form __**and**__ to their soul. Unless you are given the ability through chimerism or at birth, it is nearly impossible to duplicate successfully."_

"_Zelgadis_," Filia says in a serious tone. _"The enemy must have known this when he gave you this trial. If he believes you have the ability to surpass Rezo than he must have meant it. We need to figure out what this means so we can stop him."_

Zelgadis notices that Filia has said 'we' in her statement and gives her a questioning glance. "_We_?" he says. _"Besides he's a mad man, you cannot take what he say's seriously."_

"_I'm involved in this matter, whether you like it or not,"_ Filia says matter-of-factly. _"All of us are. When this idiot challenged you, he challenged all of us. Not just the chimera you saved, not just Xellos and this Wizer person, but all of us. As for listening to a mad man, in my experience one has no choice but to at least consider their words. Xellos and Lina are prime examples_." With that said she rises from her chair and prepares to make some lunch.

Zelgadis decides not to bother trying to figure out when Filia became a close friend.

While Filia makes some lunch, Zelgadis spends his time babysitting Val and practicing his shamanism and astral spells. It's a different way of seeing and hearing the world around him, but it is better than what he has put up with the last couple of weeks. Some might think it impossible for him to see the world using astral magic, but here he is proving them all wrong. Rezo knew the secret, now it's Zelgadis's turn.

Zelgadis wonders if his enemy has known this from the beginning.

Over the next few days Zelgadis tries not to get in Filia's way, but even with his wood staff and magic helping him see he is either running into Jillas, Gravos's or the dragon herself. Val is the only one who isn't bothered, he actually finds the stumbling purple haired pale man quite entertaining; a new excitement to satisfy his daily needs.

On the third day Zelgadis trips over a potter's wheel, while exploring Filia's shop. He isn't satisfied with simply stumbling through Filia's house and is trying to remain entertained. Rather sad considering he is now stooping to the level of Val. Finding a potter's wheel, however, raises his spirits. After this discovery, Zelgadis sets to locating some clay. Unfortunately, the only clay in the shop is already fired and has a price tag on it. Zelgadis realizes that in order to find the clay he needs he will need to make a trip into town.

After all he's been through; Zelgadis should be wary about going out in public, but even after mending his obstinate personality he still has enough determination to accomplish this small feat. It brings back memories with the first family he lived with at the beginning of his curse and he wants to remember their kindness. With his mind made up Zelgadis makes plans to go into town, but he isn't stupid.

So he goes out with Val.

Actually Filia asks Zelgadis to go out with Val, since Jillas and Gravos are busy obeying her. Come to think of it, Zelgadis is now busy obeying the dragon woman as well.

Trying not to show his embarrassment, Zelgadis gingerly takes Val's hand and walks down the teeming street. A few people turn to watch them pass, but it is usually in order to say hello to Val. Apparently the town is quite familiar with Filia's family and they treat Zelgadis with the same kindness. Zelgadis can only imagine what Val is actually telling the people about Zelgadis as they pass.

"_Oh yes this is my bluish-purple haired friend,"_ the imaginary Val says in Zelgadis's mind. _"He likes to give me piggy back rides, play with my toys, and be my personal slave. He also can't react to anything because he isn't really here and he likes running into walls."_

While none of this is true, Zelgadis cannot help but imagine the possibilities. It helps add some humor to his hectic and abnormal life. In all probability, Val is saying much more humiliating things, worse than Zelgadis can even envision.

Eventually, the two complete Filia's grocery list and they find some clay. With Val's bargaining skills they are able to get some for a decent price. By the time they get back to the home, Filia's shop is extremely busy with the people Val has met on the street. So Zelgadis takes Val to the back and the two start playing with the special wet dirt.

Using his ever growing skill with astral magic, Zelgadis influences the shape and texture of the clay, pushing his shamanist magic skills to the fullest on the simple pot. By its completion he has a large beautiful jar, it is the largest he has made thus far and Val cannot help put gape at it. The wet piece of art is as big as Val.

Filia is surprised too, when she walks into the back of the shop and see's the huge piece of art.

"_Why didn't you tell me you knew how to throw pots?" _Filia asks in wonder.

It has never crossed Zelgadis's mind to actually tell Filia out right about his meager abilities with clay, but now he realizes how silly it is to keep such a secret. Come to think of it, Zelgadis must have forgotten to show her that portion of his story earlier. He could have just told her about his desire to make a pot at the beginning and avoided the trouble of traveling with Val to find some clay.

"_Never crossed my mind,"_ Zelgadis says truthfully reestablishing the spell from earlier.

"_Well for a blind man this pot is amazing, I think you have just earned your keep,"_ Filia says as she inspects the pot inside and out with a critical eye. No cracks, no bubbles, even the pots lip is even, she nods her head in approval as she finishes her inspection. "_A good friend of mine has a kiln; I'll get you some more clay."_ And with that she walks out of the room.

'_She didn't even ask me if I wanted to sell it_,' Zelgadis thinks to himself.

It doesn't take long before Filia returns with bags full of red, brown, and white clay, which Zelgadis happily accepts. At least now he has a method of practicing his magic without getting in anyone's way.

For the next couple of days, Zelgadis and Val spend their time together playing with clay. Whenever Val gets bored, Zelgadis uses his magic to move the clay around like a puppet, keeping the young dragon out of trouble.

On the third day, since Filia's discovery of Zelgadis's secret talent, the young shaman is attempting to use his magic to communicate verbally with someone other than Filia. The first time he tries it on Jillas, who assumes that it is someone knocking on the homes front door. Zelgadis keeps trying, successfully making Jillas almost go insane after checking the door for the fifth time.

Val finds this vastly entertaining, since Jillas is the only one who claims to hear the knock at the door. While Zelgadis and Val are busy tormenting Jillas, Zelgadis's game is cut short when he feels and nearly see's a familiar presence approaching the house.

It is Xellos.

Realizing that his time is probably up, Zelgadis stops his little astral spell on Jillas and cautiously waits in his seat.

With obvious relief at the mysterious knocks abrupt end, the baffled beastman returns to his chores, leaving Val to find some new form of amusement. The young dragon comes to Zelgadis's side right as Xellos makes his grand entrance. Over the last five days Zelgadis has had a lot of practice using astral magic and with it he can see a whole new version of Xellos.

Without even realizing it, Zelgadis stares at Xellos openly. The monster doesn't look human at all, but appears to be an enormous cone of black chaotic energy. Meanwhile, Jillas notices Xellos's arrival as well and sets off at once from the room, probably in order to locate Filia.

Xellos says something, but Zelgadis cannot hear it. Instead Val simply nods and happily skips away, a ball of ancient magic hopping through the house and outside into the yard. At least this is how Zelgadis sees him.

"_So how have you been fairing Zelgadis?"_ Xellos says cheerfully, interrupting Zelgadis's gawking.

(Good) Zelgadis signs, as he gazes steadily at the monster. If any of his friends saw what he sees now they wouldn't think twice about whether to trust him or not. He wouldn't trust him, but of course he doesn't have a choice either way. The form still has the strange raw comfort Zelgadis has grown to recognize over the past few weeks, but this time he feels something else. Something he hasn't felt from Xellos before.

_AN: The spell Zelgadis uses with Filia is an actual spell from the series, I didn't make it up. But I did modify it slightly since it is usually used to communicate over great distances. Had to bring pots back into this chapter, which is hard to avoid with Filia since she owns a vase and mace shop. A lot of the stuff mentioned in Filia and Zelgadis's discussion will play a major role in the sequel to this story, but other than that you can happily ignore it._


	10. Tricky Lies

_AN: I realize that not a lot of people read this and that's okay. I want to finish posting this story so I can move on to other things._

Tricky Lies

Chapter 10

"_You look a little pale Zelgadis, are you sure you're 'good'"_ Xellos says with a grin still sticking to his voice.

Zelgadis regains his composure and gives a tart response. "(*snuff* before you filthy monster came I was good/fine)."

"_How is your new magic training?" _Xellos continues courtly.

(Where have you been, what is happening right now)? Zelgadis asks angrily. How can Xellos dare ask a thing when Zelgadis knowingly left his friends in a dangerous situation.

Xellos doesn't immediately respond, but Zelgadis can sense and see a large column of energy starting to form around Xellos.

At the last second Zelgadis dives to the side as a cone of dark energy flies into the chair he has just vacated. Without stopping Zelgadis dashes across the room, moving the ground beneath him in order to move faster, and leaves the room while dodging the tiny sparks of dark energy Xellos is throwing at him. Shuttering, the house begins to break apart with Xellos continuing to attack Zelgadis as he races out of the house. With little effort on his part, Zelgadis can see and sense every attack before it is fired.

While Xellos is still as fast as ever, he doesn't have the same invisibility he once had. It is impossible for the monster to hide his attacks from Zelgadis on the astral plane, since this is how Zelgadis can now see. But Zelgadis cannot keep this up forever. The monster is still much stronger than Zelgadis can ever hope to be.

Using an air and earth spell to shield himself, Zelgadis prepares a Raw Tilt spell right as Xellos lunges around Zelgadis's makeshift hiding place in order to grab at him.

Zelgadis waits to fire the attack until Xellos is only a few inches from hitting him with his cone like form.

With a twirl of his finger, Xellos absorbs the attack only to be attacked again with another weak Raw Tilt spell. Instead of hitting Xellos directly Zelgadis aims behind Xellos and forces the spell to break, raining the astral spell down onto both of them.

In a flash, Xellos pulls up another shield, protecting Zelgadis and himself from the blast.

When the bright light from the magic attack fades, Zelgadis slumps to the ground in puzzlement. Xellos turns slowly and gazes curiously at him.

"_Well, you have vastly improved in just five days,"_ Xellos says in a tone Zelgadis cannot read. _"But you should work on your control. I'd hate to see what would happen if you hit yourself with your own Raw Tilt spell. Who knows, it might actually damage your new sensibility"_

Zelgadis looks around and is appalled to find that nearly a third of Filia's house has been damaged. He glares at Xellos and prepares himself to fight again if the monster makes any sudden movements.

"_I was hoping to catch you off guard and get this done the easy way, but it seems now that my best choice is just explaining the situation to you."_ Xellos says. _"Our companions have run into a bit of a pickle you see, and I was hoping to have a word with the evil sociopath who is after you."_

(What? Why should I help you? Don't tell me you've abandoned Lina and the others.) Zelgadis stands and after signing his anger at Xellos. Zelgadis grabs Xellos by the collar and gnaws his teeth at the monster. Glaring his blind cold eyes into him.

"I thought you trusted me?" Xellos whines

(That was before you attacked me), Zelgadis points out.

"_Oh, so you thought I was going to babysit Lina or something?"_ Xellos corrects with a smile, chiding Zelgadis slightly for his weak assumptions. _"I'm afraid it is out of my control, but I do know how to help them."_

(Go get them now then)! Zelgadis says dropping his hands from the monsters collar.

"_But I need your help to find him quickly,"_ Xellos says patiently.

(Why should I help you)! Zelgadis screams with his hands. (You attacked me)!

"_That again, I thought you wanted to help your friends, am I wrong?"_

(I hate you), is all Zelgadis has the heart to say at the moment.

"_I'll take that as a yes. I'm going to unseal my curse on your senses so I can converse with that wizard friend of ours,"_ Xellos says as he lifts a cold hand over Zelgadis's face. To Zelgadis though, it doesn't look much like a hand. Instead, right as the black form touches his face the power of Xellos surrounds him and shuts everything out momentarily.

As soon as the blackness of Xellos fades, Zelgadis finds himself in an unexpected place.

Zelgadis is standing in a dark gruesome lab room of some sort. There are wires, chains and tubes straddled along the walls and ceiling with other such equipment littered around to match. It is the stuff out of Zelgadis's nightmares, but that isn't the most disconcerting thing about it.

The things that are being seen with his eyes are not matching up with what he sees with his newly acquired astral vision. On one hand, he can see Xellos's dark form poking at him for attention, while his eyes contradict this image, showing a vision of a mad man's underground lab.

"Oh goody, you have finally come to say hello," a male voice says from somewhere in the room. The villain snaps his fingers and some of the lights turn on, causing Zelgadis to step back and squint in surprise.

"Mister Zelgadis," a familiar voice says from underneath one of the dangling lights behind Zelgadis.

Things are about to become very confusing for Zelgadis.

Recognizing the voice as Amelia's, Zelgadis turns his head towards the sounds source to his right.

But nothing is there.

Out of the corner of his eye he spots Amelia, Lina, Sylphiel, Pokota and Gourry as they stumble into the room. Apparently the country of Taforashia and Siraag became involved in Seyruun's plight while he has been away.

Twisting around, Zelgadis faces his friends and calls out to them.

"Amelia, Lina, Gourry, I found you," Zelgadis says, but while his mouth is moving he is confused to find that it sounds like his voice is coming from in front of him, some distance away in fact, rather than his own mouth. In bafflement, Zelgadis turns towards his friends, as he searches the room cautiously. As he searches, Zelgadis begins to depend less on his astral vision, causing the form of the monstrous Xellos to slowly disappear.

A voice in Zelgadis's head tells him that something is wrong, but his friend's voices distract him. Zelgadis has been living without sound for so long that it is now drowning out his thoughts very easily.

"Hey, Zel is that you," Lina says looking towards him in confusion. As he watches Lina's mouth move with the words, he is confused once more when he does not hear the sound coming from in front of him, but towards his left. Zelgadis looks towards his left, but only see's the black shadows of machines. Warily, Zelgadis turns his attention back in front of him and watches Lina carefully.

She is curiously walking forward with a steady eye seeming to look right past him. It's as if she is looking at him through a haze.

"Yes, it's me," Zelgadis says louder than before. This time it sounds like his voice is coming from somewhere in front of him, but Lina looks to her left as if his voice is coming from someplace else. Someone is toying with him. It doesn't sound like his voice is coming from his own mouth at all. When Lina steps closer, Zelgadis has the odd sensation of looking slightly up at Lina. Last he checked; he was taller than Lina.

The Slayers team is beginning to feel the onslaught of overwhelming confusion when two Mazoku reveal themselves from out of the shadows. Ditle comes out of the darkness at Zelgadis's left, while the form of the smiling Chezem comes from his right.

"Come on Lina, don't you recognize me?" Chezem says in Zelgadis's voice with a sharp toothy grin. A prickly pang runs through Zelgadis's mind as he realizes that he didn't say anything. Before this thought has fully sunk its teeth into his mind, his eyes move down against his will. He doesn't see his own hands, but the long and twitching sleeves of the small monster, Klide.

Something rough grabs Zelgadis's arms and begins to shake him, but his vision does not correspond with the abrupt movement his real body is feeling. At this point, Klide is finished mimicking Zelgadis's eye movements to fool him and stares forward as his monster buddies begin to attack Lina and the others.

Zelgadis is forced to watch as his friends fend off three monsters and hears their panting breath as they fight for their lives. He continues to feel something shaking him vigorously, but he refuses to lose sight of what is happening in front of him. Lina raises her hands and prepares to cast a spell. Meanwhile, Amelia and Sylphiel cast a barrier around Gourry and Pokota as they attempt to fend off the monsters main assault.

"It all comes down to this," a demented male voice says softly past the spells being cast by Zelgadis's friends. A whisper meant only for Zelgadis to hear. "Succeed where Rezo failed, ehmm, ehmm, overcome your trial."

"_Zelgadis snap out of it!"_ Filia says in a blood curdling scream into his mind, successfully breaking the spell right as he feels his false teeth sink down into Lina's shoulder.

Coughing and sputtering as the tang of blood seems to flow into his mouth, Zelgadis attempts to cast a shield to block off what he is feeling from the monsters that have control of his senses. Filia helps and eventually Zelgadis calms down enough to reform the world around him with his magic.

"They are fighting," Zelgadis says to Filia and signs for Xellos.

"_Then we should get going,"_ Xellos says. "_You can trace where your eyes, ears, and mouth are right now, correct?"_

Zelgadis clenches the grass beneath him as he holds his breath and nods in the affirmative. Without waiting for approval, Xellos grabs Zelgadis and forces him off the ground, hugging him by the shoulders. Filia stands and grabs at Xellos, demanding something from him, but Zelgadis cannot hear her. If only he had more time, he might be able to figure out a spell to do more than just help him see.

The two seem to have a bicker of sorts, which reminds Zelgadis of an old married couple; even Xellos's form seems to be reacting and agitated. Unlike Xellos's unchanging face, his astral form cannot be as rigid.

Eventually, the two seem to come to an agreement of some kind and Xellos moves Zelgadis into the astral plane.

"_Well, lead the way," _Xellos says.

"Right," Zelgadis says using his own voice and reconnecting with his lost senses. His next thought he saves for himself and doesn't share with Xellos. _No matter how weak I am, I will surpass that demented fools expectations._

_Authors Note: I'm sorry it gets so confusing when Zelgadis see's Lina and the others again, but it does make sense if you think about it. Not that you need to, I suppose it's enough to accept that it is all really confusing and fools Zelgadis. Only a few chapters left, this is a very short chapter compared to some of the others._

_Right now I just want to post this story and move on to other things since it's been sitting on my computer for nearly a year._


	11. Still a Monster

Still a Monster

Chapter 11

Klide see's Zelgadis and Xellos coming before they enter the thick of battle in the sorcerers' evil lair, but he cannot stop the flying cone of black energy that casts him aside like an insignificant pebble.

"Lina, Gourry, Amelia can you hear me!" Zelgadis calls out. Nothing comes out of his own throat, but Chezem's mouth says Zelgadis's words instead. Apparently, Zelgadis and Filia's makeshift shield that was protecting him from the sorcerers curse has shattered. Zelgadis grunts as his astral vision begins to compete with what Klide is seeing and his ears begin hearing the gasps of agony from his companions.

"Stop this!" Zelgadis says again through Chezem. Klide and Chezem smirk at Zelgadis, but he doesn't really see their smirks. Instead of relying on Klides eyes, Zelgadis takes his chances with using his astral vision only.

The three monsters do not look anything like their human counterparts, but they appear as the monsters they truly are. Ignoring the monstrous entities, Zelgadis stubbornly takes a stand. "They don't have anything to do with this." He points to his friends and is shocked to find that he cannot see them with his astral vision. Zelgadis can only see Lina and the others if he uses Klides eyes.

Fearing the worse Zelgadis grips his hands at his side.

Zelgadis chokes out his anger through Chezem, as he desperately searches the room for his friend's astral presents. "If they are dead . . . you will . . ." Zelgadis, and Chezem, are cut off.

"Why if it isn't Mister Zel-Zel," a familiar male voice says. "It is good to see you again and just in time too." The man with blue hair and flowing sorcerer's robes swiftly moves out of the shadows with a dance like sway to his walk. Zelgadis eyes the man with ever growing annoyance and anger, but Zelgadis doesn't take notice of the man's appearance. The sorcerers gold eyes are shining madly in Zelgadis's astral vision.

Zelgadis grabs for his sword, but is sorely disappointed to find nothing there at his waist. Letting out a mute grunt of aggravation Zelgadis bitterly wonders why he never thought to ask for a sword.

"Hello, great villain," Xellos says from behind Zelgadis. "It's great to finally meet you, but I really should get going."

Zelgadis stares at Xellos dumbfounded. "You can't just leave Lina!" Zelgadis says as he motions towards Lina's still form.

Xellos curiously eyes the spot that Zelgadis is pointing out, but other than that he does not react. "I'm sorry Zelgadis, but Lina and the other's are not here."

Zelgadis looks at the spot Lina is suppose to be. Once again he doesn't see her with his astral vision, but he can see her as clear as day with Klides eyes.

"I left Lina in Seyruun," Xellos explains cheerfully. "You see this has all been a part of Lina's plan to find the evil sorcerer. He has been causing a lot of trouble searching for you these past five days, so Lina thought that the best way to find him and stop him was to use you as bait." Xellos purposely seems to use small words to explain himself much to Zelgadis's annoyance. "Of course, I'm sure you can see that they are not really here. Your madman sorcerer is using a Shamanist Illusion spell on his monsters to try and fool you." Xellos giggles slightly as the thought entertains him. "Isn't that something? Using a powerful shaman spell on his own minions just to fool you, I'm impressed!"

Crossing him arms, Zelgadis glares up at the black twirling cone, as the evil sorcerer disbands the illusion spell.

The sorcerer begins to clap with glee for Xellos in congratulation. "Why yes, but now that I have been found out I can now fight back. As you probably know. . ." the man's playfulness quickly turns into a serious guise of arrogance as the man continues to explain. "An illusion spell takes a lot of concentration so I cannot attempt any magic while performing the fantasy." The man and his monsters strike imposing battle poses around Xellos, as Zelgadis takes a step back. "Now I will not need to hold back."

"Actually I really need to get going, have fun Zelgadis," Xellos says, while spiraling away at a breakneck speed through the astral plane.

"_Don't die, Okay?"_ Xellos says into Zelgadis mind right as the three monsters and madman turn to face Zelgadis. Spreading his arms in preparation for a fight, Zelgadis quickly considers a number of spells he might be able to use in order to protect himself.

"Oh don't worry Zelgadis, no need for that, now we can have a serious discussion. So . . ." the man relaxes his stance. "How have you been fairing these last three weeks, have you learned your lesson from this trial."

Gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, Zelgadis tries his best to hold back his ever growing distaste and hate for the man in front of him.

"Well, what have you learned?" the man says again, crossing his arms and beginning to smile for no apparent reason.

"What I learned . . ." Zelgadis says, but his lips move silently, while Chezem's voice caries his own thoughts. Bristling his spine, Zelgadis tries to remain in control of himself as he hears the words from Ditles perspective as Chezem speaks for him. "What I learned . . . is that I have been blind, mute and deaf far longer than these past three weeks."

The man nods his approval.

"Even though I have been avoiding my friends for years, they still helped me. Even the great, gorgeous and powerful sorcerer genius helped me because of your insanity. Even Amelia who I have probably hurt the most stood by me. Even after attacking Gourry, he still understood. I've put them all in harm's way even after I've been avoiding them in order to keep myself safe," Zelgadis continues as he stares at the ground.

"Yes, yes, go on," the sorcerer says eagerly, slightly leaning forward with the gold light dancing in his eyes like a turbulent flame.

And you know what . . ." Zelgadis says with a grin forming across his mouth which is mirrored by the monster. "No matter how weak I may be, I'll be damned if I can't shut you up for good!"

As soon as Zelgadis's exclamation leaves Chezem's mouth, the young mage sends a powerful Elmekia Lance spell flying straight at the monsters and sorcerer. Each foe dodges the attack, but Zelgadis pummels into the fleeing sorcerer with a bubble like shield around him.

The three monsters attempt to recover their master, but Zelgadis sends an Astral Dislash spell at them, which is far more potent to their astral forms than an Elmekia Lance spell. Quickly, Zelgadis forces the bubble to encase the sorcerer as well, beginning to sock, punch and kick at the man in fury.

As each monster collides with the bubble they are sent flying as a sizzle of astral energy shoots through them.

"(cough) Why protect your friends?" the man sputters happily as Zelgadis takes a break between his punches.

"Because, I've done nothing but hurt them," Zelgadis says through the muffled voice of Chezem, who is unsuccessfully trying to get through the astral shield.

"Didn't they just use you to find me," the man says calmly, giggling slightly. "You'll protect the same people who just sold you out."

"Shut up, moron!" Zelgadis screams, but he can barely hear himself for some reason.

"You really are heartless aren't you," the man says, but again Zelgadis can only hear it as if it is a whisper. Blindly Zelgadis continues to attack the man and sends a Dagger Bolt spell into the man's shoulder.

In response the man begins to laugh in maniacal glee, but Zelgadis only has the pleasure of watching the man's astral form sputter and spark since Zelgadis can no longer hear him.

Suddenly, Zelgadis's senses come rushing back to him and in his shock Zelgadis lowers the astral shield from around him. Thinking that it might be a trick Zelgadis closes his eyes and uses his astral vision to look behind him.

Shimmering in all their glory, the astral forms of Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and a human Pokota stand carefully watching him. In his haste, Zelgadis never noticed that the Pokota from earlier was his stuffed animal form, not the human form he helped recreate over six weeks prior.

"So are you almost done here Zel?" Lina asks while her Ragna Blade spell dissipates from her hands. Gourry gives Zelgadis a delighted wave as Amelia runs to his side. Apparently, Lina has just used her second most powerful spell to slay Chezem, Klide, and Ditle from behind.

Good riddance.

"You are about to receive the ultimate justice you fiend!" Amelia says as she points at the beaten, battered and laughing man Zelgadis has been playing with. "No one has the right to take away an innocent persons right to happiness and their ability to live a virtuous life. For that crime you will now feel the righteous wrath of Mister Zelgadis."

Zelgadis stares at them in wonder, his anger slowly dropping away from his mind and body. In his agony and frustration Zelgadis didn't even notice that his friends had been fighting the three monsters, even though he has the ability to see in all directions.

"Guess you didn't really need us," Pokota says with a smirk, successfully breaking Zelgadis out of his trance.

"Any last words," Zelgadis asks the mad man, as Gourry lowers his sword under the chuckling mans chin.

"My name is Ralnker the Gold and did it ever cross your mind Zelgadis to wonder _where_ you got all this magic power from," the man says.

Widening his eyes Zelgadis's mind stammers as this new thought wriggles its way into him. Filia had mentioned the same thing, but hearing it from the sorcerer is far more disconcerting. Roughly, Zelgadis grabs Gourry's sword and closes the gap between the sharp steels blade and Ralnker's thin pale skin.

"Think about it?" Ralnker continues undeterred. "You were never this strong before as a human and we both know that your copy body is as ordinary as you once were. Unless you were born with the magic capacity, no clone or copy can duplicated a person's magical potential, so how were you able to see? How were you able to use spells without saying a word? How could you possibly dare to hope and fight against three monsters all by yourself," the man says with a cough and a giggle.

As these disturbing thoughts soak through him, Zelgadis notices something troubling about the man sagging against the wall. Now that Zelgadis's natural eyes and astral vision correspond correctly he can easily see the unnatural gold haze now oozing out of Ralnker's body, like old gunk from a leaky pipe.

"For the record, I'm the one who got rid of those stupid monsters," Lina corrects him, while scratching the back of her head. "Zelgadis was just busy punching you. I wasn't about to stop him."

"He could have done it himself," Ralnker says confidently. "And the reason is simple. Just like Shabranigdo is grafted into a humans soul, so was Zelgadis's magical ability when Rezo transformed him into a chimera!" Ralnker smiles proudly at his revelation. "Rezo created a perfectly complete chimera, grafting the blow demon and rock golem into your very soul. These things were not attached simply to your body, but to your very spirit!"

A hint of a smile creases across his face as he watches Zelgadis's reaction. "Out of curiosity, did you ever look at yourself with those cursed eyes of yours?"

Without a second thought Zelgadis drops Gourry's sword and looks down at himself, raising his hands and arms in front of his face. He is now forced to see what he has never had the chance to see until now.

His skin is glowing blue with strange cracks like rock riding up and down the creases in his skin. As Zelgadis scans the rest of his body he finds the black lines belonging to a blow demon cutting through him in jagged lines that belong to a rock golem.

"Shabranigdo knew what he was doing when he made you," the evil man laughs.

Unaware of what Zelgadis is experiencing, after all Zelgadis looks completely human in their eyes, the Slayers eye the delinquent sorcerer with mixed expressions, mostly confusion, with a few scatters faces of horror. On cue, the group turns to look at Lina for an explanation.

"Is it true that Shabranigdo is grafted to a person's soul," Amelia asks quietly.

"Well, yeah," Lina says calmly. She sighs in exasperation, before continuing. "Look, Rezo is a perfect example of this. Originally I thought that Shabranigdo was sealed in Rezo's eyes, but after fighting Luke and defeating Rezo's Jar we learned that Shabranigdo is attached to a person's soul. So . . . what he's saying does make sense. It only seems natural that the same rules would apply to making a chimera, especially when one considers that Rezo was able to create a chimera using the power of Shabranigdo himself. That is what made Rezo so powerful. It's likely that it is Shapranigdo is the one who cursed Zelgadis not Rezo, since the Red Priest actually cared about his great-grandson."

Zelgadis feels sick; apparently he never found his cure.

He is still a monster.

Before Zelgadis has a chance to wander down a dark road and forget everything he has learned about himself over the past three weeks, Lina speak up again.

"But there is one problem with all this," Lina says. "Why are you going out of your way to torture Zelgadis? I mean he's not nearly as powerful as me, Lina Inverse."

"I needed him to succeed where his great-grandfather failed," Ralnker says.

"So you've said," Zelgadis mutters, snapping momentarily away from his dark thoughts. But he cannot stop looking at his hands.

"Zelgadis will destroy the world!" Ralnker concludes in wild ecstasy.

"Uh, riiigght, look buddy, Zel isn't strong enough to destroy the world," Lina says losing her patience. "Although his abilities using shamanism and casting astral spells is quite impressive, he cannot cast a dragon slave."

"But he's the one who destroyed his great-grandfather out of revenge! He's the one who can summon the mother of all things!" Ralnker says as gold light stabs in his eyes.

Zelgadis backs away, picking up the sword and handing it back to Gourry, while Lina plants herself firmly in front of Ralnker. Zelgadis is through with the idiot.

"Look I don't know what tabloids you've been reading, but I am the one who defeated Rezo! I'm the one who has defeated Shabranigdo three times. I'm the one who fought against monsters and defeated Lord Phibrizzo," Lina begins to shout at the man as she goes down the list of her vast achievements of destruction.

"You're the one who did all that . . . but that means," Ralnker's eyes widen as realization dawns on his demented mind. His once smiling face is replaced with a vacant empty hole.

"I don't really know what's going on," Gourry says in his common tone of confusion. "But this does mean that this crazy guy was after the wrong person this whole time right?"

"Basically, yeah, pretty much," Lina says grudgingly.

Pokota laughs at the man, "You really are a fool."

"I've been going through hell, because you got me confused with someone else . . ." Zelgadis says as a gloomy cloud rests over his head once more.

Amelia comes to Zelgadis's rescue. "Mister Zelgadis, we defeated the monsters, nothing can hurt you now, and everything is going to be alright."

"Amelia's right Zel," Lina says confidently, with Gourry and Pokota nodding in agreement. "There's no going back now, but at least we found this fanatic before he could cause any really damage."

"Real damage?" Zelgadis questions with his ever bubbling aggression beginning to pop again. "Lina, this is your entire fault! If you weren't who you are I wouldn't have had to put up with this idiot."

"Hey, watch it Zel," Lina says. "If I wasn't the powerful and beautiful sorcerer I am you wouldn't be alive."

"I will not fail!" Ralnker screams into the dark room. Instantly the blue haired sorcerer's wounds heal and he stands with a gold light radiating from him in a light of chaotic flame. "I will see this thing through."

A surge of astral magic blasts the slayers across the room as Ralnker's madness goes out of control.

_Authors Note: So yeah, this whole time Zelgadis has been going through turmoil for no reason. Great isn't it? Now there is only one chapter to go, I'm sad to see it end. Good thing there's a sequel, I'm practically done with._

_I really want this story to end._


	12. Darkness before Dawn

Darkness Before the Dawn

Chapter 12

"What did I miss," Xellos asks as he appears with Filia between Lina and Zelgadis who are plastered against the ground. One quick glance at Ralnker is all Xellos needs to see before he understands the situation. "Ah, so does our madman friend have a name."

Filia screams as she begins to witness the power of chaos first hand.

"He's Ralnker," Lina says in annoyance as Filia's scream dies out. "Ralnker the Gold, and he is being a real pain!"

"hmm," Xellos puts a finger to his chin. "I think I've heard of him."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner you stupid Mazoku," Lina cries.

"Hold on! I want to know how long Xellos has known what I've looked like in my astral form!" Zelgadis shouts at Xellos.

"Oh goody, you're talking with that annoying mouth of yours," Xellos says as Zelgadis shakes him by the collar. "Well if you must know, you've always been like that."

Zelgadis drops the Mazoku priest and tries not to cry.

"Xellos how could you hold back valuable information from Lina and Zelgadis?" Filia reprimands.

"Now hold on you guys," Xellos says as the light begins to grow around the being in front of them. "Just because I've heard of him doesn't mean I've actually ever seen him. And I didn't think it was important to Zelgadis about his strange astral appearance. It's not like any normal human can see it. He only cares what humans think of him."

"That's not the only reason I wanted . . . oh why should I bother," Zelgadis says as his sarcasm reawakens inside him. He may have just escaped the gates on misery, but his sarcasm is somehow getting through just fine.

"It's great to hear your voice again, by the way," Filia says sincerely, trying to help her friend in any small way she can. "It must be wonderful, how do you feel?"

"Alright I guess," Zelgadis says, trying to sound appreciative of Filia's concern. She wasn't kidding when she promised to help in anyway should could. Even if it is small comfort.

"This man is quite old," Xellos says, ignoring the formalities taking place between Filia and Zelgadis. "He was once an important member of the magic guild and saved the world using a modified version of the Giga Slave."

In horror the group watches as Ralnker begins to chant something none of them want to hear.

"Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night!" Ralnker begins to say as insanity lights up behind his eyes.

"Is-is he casting the GIGA SLAVE!" Filia says as horror strikes across her face.

"Isn't Lina the only one who can cast it," Pokota says from his position on the dirty floor.

"He learned the spell from a fragment of the Clair Bible, before I could get my hands on it and destroy it." Xellos continues as if nothing is wrong. Meanwhile, Zelgadis shuts his eyes and begins to focus on casting a spell, completely tuning out Filia and Xellos, as the monster priest continues to chatter on.

"Over the years," Xellos says. "The Giga Slave spell began to eat through Ralnker's mind, using magic from our Mother can do that to a person if not used properly."

"Lord of Darkness, shining like gold upon the Sea of Chaos," Ralnker continues.

"With the passage of time he began to hate the Lord of Nightmares," Xellos sighs. "He was looking forward to seeing Rezo reawaken the monster within him, but when Rezo redeemed himself Ralnker snapped. His dream was to see the Lord of Nightmares destroy herself."

"I call upon thee, swear myself to thee!" Ralnker begins to near the end of the incantation.

"We don't have time for this," Lina says scrambling to her feet.

"This isn't right," Filia says.

"It's already too late," Xellos says happily. "Whether he succeeds or fails the world will be destroyed anyway." At this point, Xellos is content with the world being smashed apart. Although he might be a smidge concerned about this man's desire to destroy L-sama.

"Let the fools who stand before us . . ."

Zelgadis finishes his own incantation and fires a Raw Tilt at Ralnker causing the sorcerer to casually drop his hands and fail to complete the spell.

For a few moments, no one in the room is about to breath.

"Zelgadis, you have just helped destroy the world," Ralnker smiles. "I will now summon the Lord of Nightmares."

The sorcerer magically disappears in a flash of blue and white.

And all is still.

Somewhere between the four worlds created by the Lord of Nightmares, an explosion, as large as a world, detonates in the outer reaches of space where the Lord of Nightmare happily watches. No one else can witness Ralnker the Gold's final demise, but the Lord of Nightmares is certainly amused momentarily by his display.

Meanwhile, after the flash of blue fades, the slayers are left in the dark lab room.

Zelgadis begins to fall to the ground as his hair turns white, but Xellos casually catches him. Using so much magic in one day has finally taken its toll on Zelgadis. First he fought Xellos, than three monsters and final Ralnker.

"Oh well, guess I won't be meeting my maker today." Xellos says happily. "Perhaps some other time."

On cue, the already crippled lab begins to collapse around them, the Slayers frantically attempt to escape before they are buried alive. Run for life, run for food, and run for the sake of running through rupturing halls.

Miraculously, the group manages to break into the light of day again. The shadows of Ralnker, and the horrifying spell, swallow up the last remnants of what once was his evil lab.

Xellos unceremoniously drops Zelgadis, allowing the exhausted man to collapse onto the dying grass. Staring up at the sky as the sun begins to fade over the horizon Zelgadis lets out a sigh of relief. It is the first time Zelgadis has seen the sky in so long, and it doesn't look the same. The sky looks ten times better to him now, than it ever did before. Unfortunately, his observation is ruined when Xellos blocks his view.

Filia comes to Zelgadis's side and begins to demand whether or not he is alright, while Amelia begins to demand the same.

He cannot hear them, not because he's deaf, but because he is trying to enjoy being alive at the moment. Eventually, they wake him from his happy daydream and he reassures them that he is doing fine. Besides his nearly white hair, Zelgadis is in good shape. The nightmare is finally over and a new life is just beginning.

Over the next couple of weeks Zelgadis spends as much time as he can in Seyruun, helping the kingdom regain the support of the other nations. Since it is Zelgadis's fault for the near war the nation has been experiencing for the last couple of months, he sees to it that his blunder is undone. Even Wizer shows his face in time to see the case tied up, but Zelgadis only see's him as a necessary nuisance.

When the most pressing matters are dealt with, Zelgadis prepares to make a much needed visit. After promising Amelia that he will return in time for her mission to visit a Governor Thretle, Zelgadis set's out. He still has a constant itch to travel, but he will try to show his friend a little more considerate. With a little help, Zelgadis manages to travel to the southernmost country on the continent.

Taking a deep breath Zelgadis stops in front of a door on a quaint looking porch. "I made a promise," Zelgadis says to himself as he knocks on the door. With his astral vision he see's two forms head towards the door. The smaller person is bouncing up and down behind her mother.

The door opens and Zelgadis smiles as the woman stares at him in shock.

"Thank you," Zelgadis says.

"Mommy, Mommy," the little girl says. "It's Mister Clay."

"That's what you called me?" Zelgadis says with a smirk on his mouth.

"Well we didn't know what else to call you," the woman says with a laugh as she takes Zelgadis's arm and leads him inside. "Honey," she shouts across the house. "It's Mister Clay, He's back. Honey get over here."

"Welcome back!" the girl says.

"It's good to be back," Zelgadis says as a large man rushes into the room and slams into him. Giving a hug only he can.

Outside, a quiet Xellos watches intently. As payment, Zelgadis is offering Xellos information. The monster doesn't need the information necessarily, but he likes keeping the Slayers guessing. In the end, Xellos is amazed that Zelgadis's spell did the trick in disrupting the Giga Slave. Looking back, Xellos thought for sure that the Lord of Nightmares would show up and let lose her wrath. But apparently Ralnker didn't have the power necessary to cast a successful Giga Slave. Even without Zelgadis's interference, the spell probably wouldn't have worked. No way to tell now. What's done is done.

When the happiness in the house in front of Xellos begins to gush out, the monster decides that his presence here is no longer necessary. Zelgadis can find his own way home.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to leave," Xellos says aloud as the happiness starts to get to him. With a wavering smile Xellos silently disappears from view.

"Until next time Zelgadis."

The end

_Author's Note: There is another version for the ending of this story that I wrote for my sister. I will post it soon._

_This fanfic was a challenge when Zelgadis first goes blind, mute, and deaf. When I was able to use the 'magic sense' for descriptions it got a lot easier, but trying to explain an invisible world is different. I had fun though and learned a lot, but I would not call it a success._

_I also realize that the Slayers are out of character in portions of this story, but they're older so I tried to take that into consideration. That and something like this would never actually happen in the series. I am writing a sequel for this, which I personally believe is much more interesting than this story._

_If you actually read this, thank you, I appreciate it!_


	13. (extra) Chance Meeting

Darkness Beyond Twilight

Extra Chapter

_Authors Note: This is the original ending for the Slayers: Becoming Stronger. Its main flaw is the character of L-Sama, who is incredibly out of character. I originally wrote this ending because it was the ideal ending my sister wanted to see, but it didn't fit the story as well as it could have. You'll also notice the repetition of the scene when Ralnker tells Zelgadis that he still looks like a monster. The scene was originally meant for the Lord of Nightmares, but I moved it earlier to the part with Ralnker instead, because I knew this portion of the chapter was going to be cut. This idea plays a key role in the sequel. Without further delay, enjoy the encounter that was never meant to be. _

In a brilliant blaze of white Ralnker's hair and eyes turn gold as his clothes blaze like a fiery inferno. In golden hues the man sparks with a generous amount of power while surround in a mysterious circle of intense black.

Xellos immediately leaves with a screaming Filia.

The slayers gaze in wonder and fear as Ralnker's transformation completes itself. The energy surges in the room causing Ralnkers' hair to flail wildly around his head like a torch.

After a strangled lapse of silence the Lord of Nightmares crosses her arms and gazes at the group. Her wandering eyes rest on Zelgadis. To Zelgadis, The Lord of Nightmares does not look like Ralnker, but through his astral vision she looks alot like Lina, cloaked in golden midnight radiance. This thought, along with the Lords steady gaze at him, causes his blood to turn ice cold.

"I can see what this man has lived, I can hear what he has said, and I will tell you his wish," The Lord of Nightmares voice sounds just like Ralnker, but is restrained with no hint of the man's insane laughter or glee."This man's wish is to see me destroy myself, along with all that I am, have been, and have ever created."

She continues to stare at Zelgadis intently as she pauses in her speech, but no one says anything to her.

"But should a dragon slave destroy its master?" The Lord of Nightmares asks. "Can a Ragna Blast unmake its creator?" The Lord of Nightmares doesn't wait for anyone to answer. "No it cannot, so I have no reason to be here."

The Lord of Nightmares turns away from them in preparation to leave, but abruptly stops when a thought drops down on her. "It is such a waste to come down to this world and have nothing to do. Do any of you have a request?" She turns Ralnker's head slightly behind her in order to eye the Slayers once more.

Immediately Amelia perks up, "I wish for Jus . . ."

Pokota lunges at Amelia and claps a hand over her mouth before the word 'justice' can escape. He smiles sheepishly as the Lord of their nightmare turns completely around to face them.

Everyone tries to look somewhere other than at the Lord of Nightmares.

"If there is no wish, perhaps I shall destroy the world instead."

"I'd like food," Gourry blurts out

"That's what I want, but I want a mountain load of it," Lina says brightly.

"I want justice!" Amelia says.

"I don't want the world to be destroyed," Pokota says at length.

"I was going to wish for that next," Lina says as she gives Pokota a slight glare.

"Well too slow, flatty, I asked for it first," Pokota strikes back.

Before Lina and Pokota can start another bicker The Lord of Nightmares speaks. "None of those wishes are worth my while," she says in Ralnker's voice.

"Not even saving the world?" Amelia dares to ask.

"No," the Lord of Nightmares says evenly.

Everyone in the group looks at each other in bewilderment, except Zelgadis who is still gazing at the golden version of Lina intently.

"None of you have sacrificed anything for this man I now possess, so why should I grant any of your requests," The lord says. "He has given his life to the chaos that has held control over him for decades. Why should I save you?"

"Then why ask us for a request?" Zelgadis finally says. "Why ask if you are going to say no, because of a madman that wants you dead."

"Because he is no different from you," The Lord of Nightmares says. "Unless you think your request is worth something?"

"I won't pretend to understand that reasoning," Zelgadis says while glancing at Lina.

"That is good," she says. Calmly, the form of Ralnker walks towards Zelgadis and looks at him intently. "What do you see?"

"I see Lina," Zelgadis says truthfully.

"I like what I hear, now listen to what I see." She says. "I also see a human whose stubbornness and trust have reached beyond what they once were. You were once blind, but now you see the truth. You were once mute, but now you speak the truth. You were once deaf, but now you hear the truth."

The world around the slayers begins to crack as the Lord of Nightmares continues to inhabit their world. Zelgadis can see that the Lord of Nightmares only has the nail of her pinky finger on their world, and yet the world is still affected by the weight of her immense power.

"I also see a monster," The Lord of Nightmares says.

A hint of a smile creases across her face as she watches Zelgadis's reaction. "Did you ever look at yourself with those cursed eyes of yours?"

Without a second thought, she takes his hands and Zelgadis winces in pain at her touch. Raising them in front of his face Zelgadis is forced to see what he has never had the chance to study until now.

His skin is glowing blue with strange cracks like rock riding up and down the creases in his skin. As Zelgadis scans the rest of his body he finds the black lines belonging to a blow demon cutting through him in jagged lines that belong to a rock golem.

"Shabranigdo knew what he was doing when he made you," she finally says as she gently lets go of Zelgadis's shaking hands. "I am the Lord of Nightmares, because I am beyond what people can understand. I show people their worst nightmares, because they cannot see it themselves. But you have the power to see it all. You are a person with so many scars that it is impossible for any being on this planet to cure you."

"Maybe you will let me cure you," She says with excitement dancing behind her eyes as her gold irises flood into his mind. He almost becomes lost in them, but the abrupt shutter of a protesting earth shakes him from her gaze.

He hesitates. Zelgadis has the chance to completely destroy the monster that has been aggressively attached to him all these years and start over. The Lord of Nightmares is stronger than Shabranigdo, because she is what created him, but that is the other side of the same coin. While she is more powerful, she is also incredible dangerous. It feels like Zelgadis has the power to destroy the world, and he didn't even cast the Giga Slave. But he is the one who summoned the Lord of Nightmares.

"I want you to leave," Zelgadis says instead. "I know now that I can live with my demons."

"You are a smart child; one who has failed to realize how young he really is. Have you even aged since receiving that new body? (She pauses for a moment before continuing). Besides I would only make your cure worse. You'll find that out soon enough, without my help. This is only the beginning." The Lord of Nightmares smiles once more and turns away from him. She steps in front of Lina and without thinking or wondering why Gourry hugs Lina close. "You are still my favorite," she says.

With an earth shattering blast the Lord of Nightmares disappears from their sight.

End

_AN: Ah, spoilers for the sequel, but I can't very well control what L-sama says now can I._


End file.
